A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #135
hints & answers for October 24, 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 October 24, 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 C, H, P and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

COLONY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ANIMAL GROUPS

Reveal all four words
  • COLONY
  • HERD
  • PRIDE
  • SCHOOL

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CRANNY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SMALL OPENING

Reveal all four words
  • CRANNY
  • NICHE
  • NOOK
  • RECESS

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CLASSIC belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PARADIGMATIC

Reveal all four words
  • CLASSIC
  • DEFINITIVE
  • MODEL
  • TEXTBOOK

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Gentle hint

Listen to how the two parts echo each other.

Show one word

BACKPACK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

RHYMING COMPOUND WORDS

Reveal all four words
  • BACKPACK
  • BIGWIG
  • DOWNTOWN
  • RAGTAG

The two parts of each compound word rhyme.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: ANIMAL GROUPS
  • Green: SMALL OPENING
  • Blue: PARADIGMATIC
  • Purple: RHYMING COMPOUND WORDS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ANIMAL GROUPS

COLONY · HERD · PRIDE · SCHOOL

Green

SMALL OPENING

CRANNY · NICHE · NOOK · RECESS

Blue

PARADIGMATIC

CLASSIC · DEFINITIVE · MODEL · TEXTBOOK

Purple

RHYMING COMPOUND WORDS

BACKPACK · BIGWIG · DOWNTOWN · RAGTAG

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.