A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #79
hints & answers for August 29, 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 August 29, 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, R and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOOK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DEPART QUICKLY

Reveal all four words
  • BOOK
  • BOUNCE
  • RUN
  • SPLIT

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with F, I, L and O. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

FOX belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ANIMALS THAT END WITH “X”

Reveal all four words
  • FOX
  • IBEX
  • LYNX
  • ORYX

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
Gentle hint

Look at the darkest section of a paint chart.

Show one word

EBONY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SHADES OF BLACK

Reveal all four words
  • EBONY
  • JET
  • ONYX
  • RAVEN

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ASH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS BEFORE DAYS OF THE WEEK

Reveal all four words
  • ASH
  • BLACK
  • CYBER
  • FAT
Show categories only
  • Yellow: DEPART QUICKLY
  • Green: ANIMALS THAT END WITH “X”
  • Blue: SHADES OF BLACK
  • Purple: WORDS BEFORE DAYS OF THE WEEK

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

DEPART QUICKLY

BOOK · BOUNCE · RUN · SPLIT

Green

ANIMALS THAT END WITH “X”

FOX · IBEX · LYNX · ORYX

Blue

SHADES OF BLACK

EBONY · JET · ONYX · RAVEN

Purple

WORDS BEFORE DAYS OF THE WEEK

ASH · BLACK · CYBER · FAT

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.