A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #184
hints & answers for December 12, 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 12, 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, F, H and M. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CLOUD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MURKY CONDITION

Reveal all four words
  • CLOUD
  • FOG
  • HAZE
  • MIST

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

SHADOW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FOLLOW

Reveal all four words
  • SHADOW
  • TAIL
  • TRACK
  • TRAIL

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BALL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PINBALL MACHINE COMPONENTS

Reveal all four words
  • BALL
  • BUMPER
  • FLIPPER
  • PLUNGER

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

FIN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___LAND

Reveal all four words
  • FIN
  • GREEN
  • ICE
  • IRE

Each entry comes before "LAND" to form a word, expression or name: FIN → FIN LAND; GREEN → GREEN LAND; ICE → ICE LAND; IRE → IRE LAND.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: MURKY CONDITION
  • Green: FOLLOW
  • Blue: PINBALL MACHINE COMPONENTS
  • Purple: ___LAND

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

MURKY CONDITION

CLOUD · FOG · HAZE · MIST

Green

FOLLOW

SHADOW · TAIL · TRACK · TRAIL

Blue

PINBALL MACHINE COMPONENTS

BALL · BUMPER · FLIPPER · PLUNGER

Purple

___LAND

FIN · GREEN · ICE · IRE

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.