NYT Connections Hints December 13: Clues And Answers for #916

NYT Connections hints December 13 are now available for Puzzle #916, released on Saturday, December 13, 2025. The daily New York Times word game delivered one of the toughest boards of the week.

The puzzle challenged players across all four difficulty tiers, combining wordplay, pop culture, fashion, and mythology. Many players reported difficulty identifying even the Yellow group.

NYT Connections Hints December 13 Puzzle Breakdown

The December 13 board featured 16 words with overlapping themes designed to mislead. The New York Times confirmed the puzzle followed the standard four-category structure, ranked from easiest to hardest.

This puzzle stood out for requiring knowledge across unrelated domains. The color-coded difficulty levels were less intuitive than usual.

Words on the board:

• HERCULE
• POIROT
• AJA
• GAUCHO
• PALAZZO
• PIAZZA
• ARE
• APOSTLE
• STRAWBERRY
• DEPOT
• CULOTTE
• GOODEN
• HER
• SEAVER
• MORTGAGE
• HAREM

One-word hints provided by the game:

• Yellow: GAUCHO
• Green: DEPOT
• Blue: GOODEN
• Purple: ARE

NYT Connections December 13 Categories Explained

The Yellow group focused on fashion terms that many players found unfamiliar. These were all styles of wide-legged pants, a category that proved unexpectedly difficult.

The Green group relied on pronunciation rather than spelling. Each word contains a silent “T,” a common NYT Connections trick that often trips up players who read visually.

The Blue group leaned heavily into sports knowledge. All four answers were legendary New York Mets players, spanning multiple eras of Major League Baseball.

The Purple group used classical mythology with a twist. Each answer was a Greek mythological figure with one letter removed, requiring both subject knowledge and pattern recognition.

NYT Connections Answers for December 13 (#916)

Below are the confirmed answers for NYT Connections Puzzle #916, as verified by multiple outlets including Forbes.

Yellow Group – Wide-Legged Pants Styles

• CULOTTE
• GAUCHO
• HAREM
• PALAZZO

Green Group – Silent “T”

• APOSTLE
• DEPOT
• MORTGAGE
• POIROT

Blue Group – New York Mets Legends

• GOODEN
• PIAZZA
• SEAVER
• STRAWBERRY

Purple Group – Greek Mythological Figures Minus a Letter

• AJA
• ARE
• HER
• HERCULE

Why NYT Connections December 13 Was Especially Difficult

Players struggled because each category required a different type of knowledge. Fashion, phonetics, sports history, and mythology appeared on the same board.

Several words acted as decoys. For example, POIROT and HERCULE appeared related but belonged to different groups, increasing the chance of early mistakes.

Game analysts noted that the Yellow group was unusually obscure. Even experienced players reported guessing blindly or failing to recognize the clothing styles.

NYT Connections hints December 13 highlighted how the game continues to evolve. The puzzle rewarded broad cultural literacy rather than narrow word association.

NYT Connections hints December 13 closed out a challenging puzzle that tested logic, knowledge, and restraint. Puzzle #916 will likely be remembered as one of the toughest of the month.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What was the hardest group in NYT Connections December 13?

Most players struggled with the Yellow group. The wide-legged pants styles were unfamiliar to many.

Q2: Why was the Green group tricky?

The Green group relied on silent letters. Players had to think about pronunciation, not spelling.

Q3: Which sports team appeared in today’s puzzle?

The Blue group featured four New York Mets legends from Major League Baseball.

Q4: What was unique about the Purple group?

Each answer was a Greek mythological figure missing one letter from its traditional spelling.

Q5: Where can players verify NYT Connections answers?

Trusted outlets like Forbes regularly publish verified hints and solutions after puzzles go live.