A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #174
hints & answers for December 2, 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 December 2, 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, C and H. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BASKET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CONTAINERS

Reveal all four words
  • BASKET
  • BIN
  • CHEST
  • HAMPER

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BAND belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CIRCULAR SHAPES

Reveal all four words
  • BAND
  • CIRCLE
  • HOOP
  • RING

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CAP belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

RESTRICT

Reveal all four words
  • CAP
  • CHECK
  • CURB
  • LIMIT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

NBA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ JAM

Reveal all four words
  • NBA
  • PAPER
  • PEARL
  • TRAFFIC

Each entry comes before "JAM" to form a word, expression or name: NBA → NBA JAM; PAPER → PAPER JAM; PEARL → PEARL JAM; TRAFFIC → TRAFFIC JAM.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: CONTAINERS
  • Green: CIRCULAR SHAPES
  • Blue: RESTRICT
  • Purple: ___ JAM

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CONTAINERS

BASKET · BIN · CHEST · HAMPER

Green

CIRCULAR SHAPES

BAND · CIRCLE · HOOP · RING

Blue

RESTRICT

CAP · CHECK · CURB · LIMIT

Purple

___ JAM

NBA · PAPER · PEARL · TRAFFIC

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.