A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #4
hints & answers for June 15, 2023

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows June 15, 2023. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, N, P and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ADIDAS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SNEAKER BRANDS

Reveal all four words
  • ADIDAS
  • NIKE
  • PUMA
  • REEBOK

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, C, C and C. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CABARET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MUSICALS BEGINNING WITH “C”

Reveal all four words
  • CABARET
  • CAROUSEL
  • CATS
  • CHICAGO

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, M, S and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DUST belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CLEANING VERBS

Reveal all four words
  • DUST
  • MOP
  • SWEEP
  • VACUUM

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BAT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ MAN SUPERHEROES

Reveal all four words
  • BAT
  • IRON
  • SPIDER
  • SUPER

Each entry comes before "MAN SUPERHEROES" to form a word, expression or name: BAT → BAT MAN SUPERHEROES; IRON → IRON MAN SUPERHEROES; SPIDER → SPIDER MAN SUPERHEROES; SUPER → SUPER MAN SUPERHEROES.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: SNEAKER BRANDS
  • Green: MUSICALS BEGINNING WITH “C”
  • Blue: CLEANING VERBS
  • Purple: ___ MAN SUPERHEROES

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SNEAKER BRANDS

ADIDAS · NIKE · PUMA · REEBOK

Green

MUSICALS BEGINNING WITH “C”

CABARET · CAROUSEL · CATS · CHICAGO

Blue

CLEANING VERBS

DUST · MOP · SWEEP · VACUUM

Purple

___ MAN SUPERHEROES

BAT · IRON · SPIDER · SUPER

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.