A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #185
hints & answers for December 13, 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 13, 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, F, G and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BUNKER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

GOLF COURSE PARTS

Reveal all four words
  • BUNKER
  • FAIRWAY
  • GREEN
  • ROUGH

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ENOUGH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

“I GIVE!”

Reveal all four words
  • ENOUGH
  • MERCY
  • STOP
  • UNCLE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BAWDY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

INDECENT

Reveal all four words
  • BAWDY
  • BLUE
  • COARSE
  • RISQUÉ

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOUGH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

”-OUGH” WORDS THAT DON’T RHYME

Reveal all four words
  • BOUGH
  • COUGH
  • DOUGH
  • TOUGH
Show categories only
  • Yellow: GOLF COURSE PARTS
  • Green: “I GIVE!”
  • Blue: INDECENT
  • Purple: ”-OUGH” WORDS THAT DON’T RHYME

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

GOLF COURSE PARTS

BUNKER · FAIRWAY · GREEN · ROUGH

Green

“I GIVE!”

ENOUGH · MERCY · STOP · UNCLE

Blue

INDECENT

BAWDY · BLUE · COARSE · RISQUÉ

Purple

”-OUGH” WORDS THAT DON’T RHYME

BOUGH · COUGH · DOUGH · TOUGH

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.