A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #27
hints & answers for July 8, 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 July 8, 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 B, B, F and F. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BERET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

HATS

Reveal all four words
  • BERET
  • BOWLER
  • FEDORA
  • FEZ

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with H, K, L and L. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

HEART belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ORGANS

Reveal all four words
  • HEART
  • KIDNEY
  • LIVER
  • LUNG

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
Gentle hint

Look at how a printed volume is put together.

Show one word

COVER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PARTS OF A BOOK

Reveal all four words
  • COVER
  • JACKET
  • PAGE
  • SPINE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

ASS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

JACK ___

Reveal all four words
  • ASS
  • KNIFE
  • POT
  • RABBIT

Each entry comes after "JACK" to form a word, expression or name: ASS → JACK ASS; KNIFE → JACK KNIFE; POT → JACK POT; RABBIT → JACK RABBIT.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: HATS
  • Green: ORGANS
  • Blue: PARTS OF A BOOK
  • Purple: JACK ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

HATS

BERET · BOWLER · FEDORA · FEZ

Green

ORGANS

HEART · KIDNEY · LIVER · LUNG

Blue

PARTS OF A BOOK

COVER · JACKET · PAGE · SPINE

Purple

JACK ___

ASS · KNIFE · POT · RABBIT

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.