Looking for the answers to the June 9 New York Times Connections puzzle? To me, Wordle is more of a vocabulary test, but Connections is more of a brainteaser. You're given 16 words and asked to put them into four groups that are somehow connected. Sometimes they're obvious, but the game editor knows how to trick you by using words that can fit in more than one group. 

And do you also play Wordle? We've got today's Wordle answer and hints, too.

We've also got some tips for Strands, a new game from the Times that's still in beta.

Hints for today's Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest, yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Negative emotions.

Green group hint: Disperse.

Blue group hint: Items with separate sections

Purple group hint: Pride of Idaho.

Answers for today's Connections groups

Yellow group: Feeling some type of way.

Green group: Throw here and there

Blue group: Things with layers.

Purple group: ____ potato.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: The Entire Alphabet Ranked by Letter Popularity

What are today's Connections answers?

The yellow words in today's Connections

The theme is feeling some type of way. The four answers are bitter, salty, sore and upset.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is throw here and there. The four answers are pepper, scatter, sprinkle and strew.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is things with layers. The four answers are cake, earth, onion and plywood.

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is ____ potato. The four answers are baker, couch, hot and sweet.

How to play Connections

Playing is easy. Winning is hard. Look at the 16 words and mentally assign them to related groups of four. Click on the four words you think go together. The groups are coded by color, though you don't know what goes where until you see the answers. The yellow group is the easiest, then green, then blue, and purple is the toughest. Look at the words carefully, and think about related terms. Sometimes the connection has to do with just a part of the word. Once, four words were grouped because each started with the name of a rock band, including "Rushmore" and "Journeyman."