Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is pretty tricky. Once again, the purple category requires you to hunt for hidden words inside of other words. That’s what makes those four words related, not their own meanings. 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: Light it up.

Green group hint: Brrrrr!

Blue group hint: Going up?

Purple group hint: Each word begins with a hidden term.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Components of a candle.

Green group: Cold things.

Blue group: Parts of an elevator.

Purple group: Starting with male animals.

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is components of a candle.

The four answers are fragrance, jar, wax and wick.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is cold things.

The four answers are liquid nitrogen, refrigerator, snow and sundae.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is parts of an elevator.

The four answers are buttons, cables, motor and shaft.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is starting with male animals.

The four answers are buckyball (buck), jackpot (jack), Rambo (ram) and tomatillo (tom).

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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