News Brief: “Claves” Feature in Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle

August 20, 2025 – New York, NY Today, the New York Times Connections puzzle included “claves” as one of four items in the “Pairs of Rods” category. The puzzle asks players to group 16 unrelated words into four themes. It includes claves, chopsticks, knitting needles, and ski poles. Solvers from coast to coast pointed out the use of this key Latin percussion instrument. Its distinctive clicking sound has fueled salsa and son Cubano rhythms for decades. Still, they found it featured in a wordplay context rather than a musical one.

Participants liked the puzzle for its smart grouping. They also appreciated the focus on a musical instrument that often gets overlooked outside percussion circles. A player said, “Finding claves in a word puzzle was a fun surprise! Who knew they would go so well with kitchen and crafting tools?”

The Connections puzzle is now in its 801st edition. It weaves together cultural references, wordplay, and common items. This mix encourages players to think in new ways. Today’s show emphasized the claves’ flexibility. They were presented as basic rods, not just as musical tools. This choice showcased the puzzle’s clever approach to vocabulary and categories.

“**Pairs of Rods:** - Chopsticks - Claves - Knitting needles - Ski poles *Source: Today’s NYT Connections Answers, TheBeeBom, August 20, 2025.*