A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #103
hints & answers for September 22, 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 September 22, 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 F, M, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

FLOAT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SODA FOUNTAIN ORDERS

Reveal all four words
  • FLOAT
  • MALT
  • SHAKE
  • SUNDAE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CONCRETE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SET, AS PLANS

Reveal all four words
  • CONCRETE
  • FIRM
  • SOLID
  • TANGIBLE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with G, O, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

GLASS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN MOVIES

Reveal all four words
  • GLASS
  • OLD
  • SIGNS
  • SPLIT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

DASH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___BOARD

Reveal all four words
  • DASH
  • HOVER
  • KEY
  • STAR

Each entry comes before "BOARD" to form a word, expression or name: DASH → DASH BOARD; HOVER → HOVER BOARD; KEY → KEY BOARD; STAR → STAR BOARD.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: SODA FOUNTAIN ORDERS
  • Green: SET, AS PLANS
  • Blue: M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN MOVIES
  • Purple: ___BOARD

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SODA FOUNTAIN ORDERS

FLOAT · MALT · SHAKE · SUNDAE

Green

SET, AS PLANS

CONCRETE · FIRM · SOLID · TANGIBLE

Blue

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN MOVIES

GLASS · OLD · SIGNS · SPLIT

Purple

___BOARD

DASH · HOVER · KEY · STAR

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.