Looking for today's Connections answer for puzzle #544 from December 6, which is easier than yesterday's puzzle, the Connections companion rated this puzzle 2.8 out of 5 for difficulty.

We update our Connections hints and tips daily. And if the hints aren't enough, all four solutions are listed below, along with the category title and related words. In addition, for those of you reading this in another time zone, I have included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle, #543.

Connection #544 contains a spoiler. Only those who want to know the answer to today's connection should read on.

Alternatively, see our NYT Connections How to Play Guide for tips on how to solve the puzzle without our help.

While today's wordle solution guide recommends the best wordle starting words as a strategy, the Connections solution depends on identifying the categories that are connected from the 16 words. The difficulty of each category is represented by a color, with yellow being the easiest grouping and purple the most difficult. Hints are helpful as the answer is displayed after four wrong guesses.

If you need a hint to solve the groupings, here are each theme in order of difficulty:

These hints should at least give you an idea of how to find the answer to today's connection. If not, please continue reading for larger hints. Also, if you just want the answer, scroll down further.

There are bigger tips: don't get confused, avoid witches, watch the hunks, don't become a coregate pildomaniac.

Now, what's the answer to today's game #544 Connection?

Drum roll please.

We've had some difficult puzzles the last few days, but on Friday we took a break for the weekend. I solved this problem.

Perplex and vex stuck as synonyms, so I looked for similar words and got puzzle and stump as baffled.

Leaving X, I had in mind Hex and Jinx, thinking they were curses, before the title was revealed; Pox and spell were easily found from there; and Pox and spell were found in the same place, but not in the same place.

For a while I was thinking of former soccer player Mia Hamm. With the yellow and green identified, I finally made the Toy Story connection and was able to see Buzz Lightyear, Slinky Dog, Rex the T-Rex, and Hamm the piggy bank.

And it ended with purple and its suffix. Cottage-core, Gamer-gaters, Cryptomania, and Red-pilled. Most are either trends or controversies.

Are you reading this late in the day? This is the Connections answer to game #543, which according to the Connections Companion had a difficulty score of 3.4 out of 5.

I started today with a strike, thinking I was being clever. I don't know if this was meant to be a trap or not, but as soon as I saw the line I thought it was the river and connected with Apple, Yellow, and Amazon. Unfortunately, it was a trap.

To recover from that misstep, I ignored the word and looked at flares and instincts. As a result, nose and talent led to aptitude.

My second guess on the line was rhinestones. I saw brim (stone), yellow (stone), and lime (stone). Purple is an early knockout.

I work for a tech site and would have been embarrassed if we left Amazon, Apple, Intuit, Oracle and tech companies last. We didn't.

In other words, Green and Exterior remained as the last grouping. This one was Face, Front, Outside, Surface.