Today's Connections Hints & Answers For December 04, 2024 (Puzzle #542)

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Getting a lead on today’s puzzle might seem quite difficult, and the words can all seem very disconnected in some of the categories today. This can make the puzzle harder and can cause a lot of frustration as well when you think you are close to an answer only to see you are not even “one away.” To get you closer to the finish line, we have all the hints and tricks you need to see the bigger picture.

Once you have figured out today’s puzzle, you might still be in the mood for a little bit more. If you are, you should check out the NYT’s puzzle, which is not too small, not too big, but just right. When you attempt it for yourself, you will see what I mean and can enjoy playing it daily just like you do for this puzzle. Crossword puzzles may not be for everyone, but if you like this one, you should find that one just as fun as well.

Getting the right hints for today’s puzzle is fairly important, as you will want to know what the general ideas are without getting a full spoiler. It is always difficult to come up with just the right clue, but it is important to help you get to the end of the puzzle without spoilers if you don’t want them. Today there are a lot of things going on, with one fairly easy category and three that are not.

Strands is one of New York Times' many puzzle games that consists of a unique 6x8 word search that requires players to use zig-zag solutions.

If you are still stuck on the puzzle and desire more guidance, there are plenty more spoilers down below. I always give you just the category names first, before proceeding into the answers for each one.

STEER

THINGS WITH NEEDLE/S

FIGURES IN GREEK MYTH

STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR LAVATORY

STEER

DIRECT

GUIDE

LEAD

SHEPHERD

This was the easy one today, as all of these words have very similar meanings and they stood out among the crowd of nouns that were all somehow related to each other. SHEPHERD was probably the hardest one to pick out for that very reason, as it is more commonly a noun than a