Looking for the most recent Connections answer? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Need the answers for the 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. Read on for today's Connections hints and answers.

If you find yourself stumped, check out today's Wordle and Strands answers, too.

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: Loud noise.

Green group hint: Peps you up.

Blue group hint: Haircut accessories.

Purple group hint: Deal me in.

Answers for today's Connections groups

Yellow group: Explosive sound.

Green group: Chili pepper quality.

Blue group: Classic barbershop supplies.

Purple group: Kinds of cards.

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 explosive sound. The four answers are boom, crash, roar and thunder.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is chili pepper quality. The four answers are fire, heat, kick and spice.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is classic barbershop supplies. The four answers are brush, cape, clippers and gel.

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is kinds of cards. The four answers are baseball, Magic, set and tarot.

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."