Credit: Connections/NYT

Notes on the Challenging Words

The word CONTEST functions as a verb.

The term MATCH relates to igniting a flame.

Remember, TONE and CHORD differ; TONE refers to color, not sound.

For clarity on POSE, this song might assist.

Categories Present in Today’s Connections

• Yellow: TINT

• Green: COMPONENTS OF A MYSTERY

• Blue: TAKE ISSUE WITH

• Purple: STRIKE A ___

DOUBLE WARNING: SOLUTIONS BELOW

Eager to uncover the answers to today’s Connections puzzle? The solutions are detailed below.

Yellow Category Solutions

The yellow grouping is seen as the simplest. Today’s theme is TINT, containing the words: HUE, SHADE, TINGE, TONE.

Green Category Solutions

The green grouping is recognized as the next easiest. The theme is COMPONENTS OF A MYSTERY, featuring: ALIBI, CLUE, DETECTIVE, SUSPECT.

Blue Category Solutions

This blue category presents a little challenge. The theme is TAKE ISSUE WITH, comprising: CHALLENGE, CONTEST, DISPUTE, QUESTION.

Purple Category Solutions

Considered the toughest, the purple category theme is STRIKE A ___ with the following words: CHORD, DEAL, MATCH, POSE.

Solving Today’s Connections

HUE, SHADE, and TONE can be synonyms, though perhaps TINGE fits in as well.

SUSPECT, DETECTIVE, ALIBI, and CLUE are all tied to investigative scenarios; they make a natural grouping. 🟩

CHALLENGE, DISPUTE, CONTEST, and QUESTION emerge as verbal expressions of contention. 🟦

There’s clarity in the last category too. HUE, SHADE, TONE, and TINGE form a cohesive group. 🟨

POISE, CHORD, DEAL, and MATCH align as actions involving “striking”: strike a POSE, strike a DEAL, and so on. 🟪

Connections
Puzzle #601
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Playing Connections

A comprehensive guide to playing Connections exists, but here’s a quick recap of the basics:

To play, locate the Connections game either on the New York Times website or within their Games app (once known as the Crossword app). You’ll see a board displaying 16 tiles with words or phrases. The challenge is to select four tiles sharing a commonality. Typically, they belong to the same category (e.g., RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are types of precipitation), but wordplay can also surface (e.g., BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH may align as various lists: bucket list, guest list, etc.).

Choose four items and click the Submit button. A correct guess will reveal the category and color. (The color hierarchy is yellow as the easiest, followed by green, blue, and then purple.) Failed guesses allow for another attempt.

Victory is achieved once all four groups are accurately identified. However, if four mistakes occur beforehand, the game concludes, and the solutions are disclosed.

Winning Strategies for Connections

To excel at Connections, understanding that the groupings are intentionally designed to mislead is crucial. Overlapping groups may frequently arise. For instance, a past puzzle blended six breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. Yet, BACON was part of a theme of artists alongside CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG fit into a group categorizing things that come in dozens (including JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). Hence, refrain from choosing “submit” until confidently sure that your four selected items comprise only those four.

If stuck, consider exploring words with seemingly no relations. For example, if WHISTLER conjures thoughts of a painting known as “Whistler’s Mother,” you may be close to insight. When solving that specific puzzle, it led to a search confirming whether a painter called Close existed, as Close didn’t immediately correlate with obvious categories.

Should challenges prevail, seeking a few helpful hints can be beneficial, which is precisely why daily pointers are shared. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the upcoming puzzle!