Looking for the answers to the June 16 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 today's answer for Strands, a new game from the Times that's still in beta, and some tips for how to play that game.

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: The way it is now.

Green group hint: Out in the boonies.

Blue group hint: Statuettes on grass.

Purple group hint: Certain kind of story.

Answers for today's Connections groups

Answer for today's Connections groups.

Yellow group: Current situation.

Green group: Remote rural area.

Blue group: Classic lawn ornaments.

Purple group: ____ tale.

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 current situation. The four answers are condition, form, shape and state.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is remote rural area. The four answers are bush, country, sticks and woods.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is classic law ornaments. The four answers are flamingo, fountain, gnome and pinwheel.

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is ____ tale. The four answers are fairy, fish, folk and tall.

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."