So, you’re staring at the grid for December 19, and honestly? It’s kind of a mess. If you’ve already glanced at the words and felt your brain start to itch, you’re not alone. The New York Times Connections puzzle for Friday, December 19 (Game #922) is one of those specifically designed to punish you for being a rational human being.
Usually, the game is a fun little morning ritual. Today, it’s a minefield. The editors really leaned into the "overlap" trickery this time around. You see words like BIRTH, LABOR, and DELIVERY and your brain instantly goes, "Oh, easy! Obstetrics!"
Stop. Don't do it.
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That is exactly what they want you to think, and if you fall for it, you’re going to burn through your four mistakes before you even finish your first cup of coffee. I’ve seen some brutal grids in 2025, but this one is particularly cruel because the red herrings aren't just subtle—they’re screaming at you.
NYT Connections Hints December 19: The Big Picture
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s look at the board. We’ve got: INTELLIGENCE, BIRTH, DOC, COOK, DELIVERY, DATA, DETAILS, ENERGY, LABOR, PEER, WORF, INFORMATION, GO OUT, LEFTOVERS, COMMERCE, and EDUCATION.
At first glance, it feels like three different puzzles are fighting for space. There’s a very obvious "government" vibe, a "data" vibe, and then whatever is going on with that Star Trek character WORF just hanging out in the corner.
If you want a nudge without the spoilers, here are some quick hints:
- Yellow: Think about what a detective or a researcher brings to a meeting.
- Green: It’s 6:00 PM on a Tuesday and you’re exhausted. What are the options?
- Blue: This is basically a middle school civics test.
- Purple: Say them out loud. Seriously. Use your ears, not just your eyes.
Why the "Baby" Trap is Ruining Everyone's Streak
The biggest hurdle today is the intersection of the Green, Blue, and Purple categories. Most people see LABOR and BIRTH and immediately look for a third. They find DELIVERY. Then they see DOC (as in Doctor).
It looks like a perfect set. It’s not.
In reality, LABOR belongs to the Blue group (U.S. Cabinet Departments), DELIVERY is part of the Green group (Dinner Options), and BIRTH and DOC are actually homophones for nautical terms in the Purple group. It’s a classic Wyna Liu move—taking words that share a strong semantic bond in one context and splitting them across three different categories based on secondary definitions.
Breaking Down the December 19 Categories
The Findings (Yellow)
This is probably the safest place to start. If you’re stuck, look for the words that describe "stuff you know." This isn't about the act of learning, but the units of knowledge themselves.
- DATA
- DETAILS
- INFORMATION
- INTELLIGENCE
It’s straightforward, but INTELLIGENCE is the one that might trip you up if you’re thinking about IQ instead of "CIA-style" intel.
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The Dinner Scramble (Green)
We’ve all been there. You’re standing in the kitchen, staring into the void of the fridge. This category is all about how you solve the "I'm hungry" problem.
- COOK
- DELIVERY
- GO OUT
- LEFTOVERS
Notice how DELIVERY is here? If you put it with the "baby" words, you’ll never solve this group.
The Cabinet Shuffle (Blue)
If you aren't American, or if you just haven't looked at a $20 bill or a news crawl in a while, this might be tricky. These are all U.S. Cabinet Departments.
- COMMERCE
- EDUCATION
- ENERGY
- LABOR
LABOR is the pivot point here. It feels like it fits with "work" or "childbirth," but in this specific grid, it's the Department of Labor.
The Nautical Homophones (Purple)
This is the "Hard" category for a reason. It’s not about what the words mean; it’s about what they sound like. Specifically, they sound like places where you’d park a boat.
- BIRTH (Berth)
- DOC (Dock)
- PEER (Pier)
- WORF (Wharf)
If you aren't a Trekkie, WORF might have felt like a total outlier. But once you realize he’s a homophone for "Wharf," the whole thing clicks into place.
How to Win at Connections (and Stop Losing to Red Herrings)
The December 19 puzzle is a masterclass in why you should never submit your first "obvious" find. Expert players always try to find five or six words that could fit a category before they commit to four.
If you found BIRTH, LABOR, and DELIVERY, you should have stopped and asked, "Okay, where is the fourth?" If the fourth word is a stretch (like trying to force DOC in there when it’s an abbreviation and the others aren't), that’s a red flag.
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Actionable Tips for Tomorrow's Grid
- Read the whole board twice. Don't just click the first pair you see.
- Identify the "weird" words. Today, that was WORF. Outliers are usually the key to the Purple category.
- Say words out loud. Homophones are a favorite trick of the NYT editors. If a word makes no sense, try to hear it instead of reading it.
- Check for "Category Creep." If you see five words that fit one theme, one of them must belong somewhere else.
If you managed to beat the "baby" trap today, give yourself a pat on the back. That was a genuine 10/10 difficulty maneuver. If you didn't, well, there’s always tomorrow’s grid to redeem your streak.
To keep your edge for the next round, try looking at the remaining words and categorizing them by their "parts of speech"—sometimes the NYT uses verbs that look like nouns to hide a connection in plain sight.