Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has some really unusual clues, and could stump a lot of players. Read on for hints and today’s Connections answers.

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: Think of a certain Robert Frost poem.

Green group hint: The color of this group.

Blue group hint: Sometimes vowel.

Purple group hint: Leave me alone!

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Road less traveled.

Green group: Shades of green.

Blue group: “Y” is the only vowel.

Purple group: Starting with synonyms for “pester.”

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is road less traveled.

The four answers are alley, backstreet, byway and lane.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is shades of green.

The four answers are forest, hunter, mint and sage.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is “Y” is the only vowel.

The four answers are fly by, myrrh, N’Sync and rhythm.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is starting with synonyms for “pester.”

The four answers are bug fix (bug) nag champa (nag), needless (needle) and tea set (tease).

Toughest Connections puzzles

We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles​ so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.

#5: Included “things you can set,” such as mood, record, table and volleyball.

#4: Included “one in a dozen,” such as egg, juror, month and rose.

#3: Included “streets on screen,” such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.

#2: Included “power ___” such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.

#1: Included “things that can run,” such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of “Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the ’70s and ’80s,” as well as “The Totally Sweet ’90s.” She’s been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She’s Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she’ll be first in line.

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