In the NYT Connections puzzle, solvers often get stuck when they encounter categories that have overlapping themes or when they misinterpret the clues provided. For example, in the yellow group of highly skilled words, players might confuse 'crackerjack' with a word that implies a more general skill set, leading them to mistakenly group it with unrelated terms. Similarly, in the blue category of Joaquin Phoenix movies, players may forget that 'Gladiator' is a well-known film associated with him, leading them to overlook it or misclassify it with other films that don’t fit the actor's filmography. This confusion can derail their grouping attempts and waste valuable time.

To effectively distinguish between real groups and plausible decoys, players should look for strong thematic links that are consistent across all words in a group. For example, in the green category of words related to fixing a flat, each word—'chock,' 'jack,' 'tire,' and 'wrench'—is directly associated with tools or components involved in tire maintenance. This concrete association helps to solidify the grouping. Conversely, words that may seem to fit based on superficial connections, such as 'expert' or 'hotshot' from the yellow category, should be scrutinized as they do not share a direct functional theme with other potential groupings.

One heuristic to keep in mind for future puzzles is to prioritize identifying the most specific categories first, as they tend to have fewer words that fit them. For example, recognizing the Joaquin Phoenix movies or the tools for fixing a flat can often lead to clearer associations than broader skill words. Another useful strategy is to look for any words that stand out as distinctly different from others in a potential group, which can often guide you towards the correct classifications. For instance, if one word in a grouping doesn’t seem to fit thematically or contextually, it may be a strong indicator that you're looking at a decoy group.