Looking for today's Connections answer for puzzle #543 from December 5, a little easier than yesterday's puzzle, this puzzle from Connections Companion has a difficulty rating of 3.4 out of 5.

We update our Connections clues and hints 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 a different time zone, I have included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle 542.

There are spoilers for connection #543. Please only read this if you want to know the answer to today's connection.

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.

Here's a bigger tip: Take the stones and avoid outside technology while exercising your talents.

Now, what is the answer to today's game #543 Connection?

Drum roll please.

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 river and connected with Apple, Yellow, and Amazon. Unfortunately, it was a trap.

To recover from that mistake, 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.

Are you reading this late in the day? According to the Connections Companion, this is the Connections solution to game #542, which had a difficulty score of 3.8 out of 5.

Today, we steer to GUIDE and SHEPHERD, which give LEAD and DIRECT in the yellow category.

Then I learned that Pan, Atlas, and Helen are part of Greek mythology. I was never 100% sure about Echo. There are different versions, but I think her sin was that she offended Hera.

For a while I was stuck in green and purple. I had loofahs, toiletries, and candles as themes for the bathroom, but I couldn't connect the synonym ideas. I tried turntables and sewing kits, but kept getting the message that I was one away. Frankly, I put Johnson in here because, “Isn't that interesting?” It was out of a touch of frustration that it was not. And it was.

And that left the green category and the one with the needle. Compasses, sewing sets, turntables, pine trees. Sure enough, I figured it out. To lean singular or not to lean singular. That's it.