Need the answers for the June 24 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 game editor Wyna Liu knows how to trick you by using words that can fit into 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.

Read more: NYT Connections Could Be the New Wordle: Our Hints and Tips

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: Be gentle.

Green group hint: Like appetizers.

Blue group hint: Sounds like a critter name.

Purple group hint: Think crimson things.

Answers for today's Connections groups

Yellow group: Sore to the touch.

Green group: Restaurant courses.

Blue group: Animal homophones.

Purple group: Red ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today's Connections answers?

The yellow words in today's Connections

The theme is sore to the touch. The four answers are delicate, raw, sensitive and tender.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is restaurant courses. The four answers are dessert, main, side and starter.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is animal homophones. The four answers are bare, dear, mousse and new.

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is red ____. The four answers are carpet, delicious, meat and tape.

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."