A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #202
hints & answers for December 30, 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 30, 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 O, P, S and Z. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ORCA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BLACK-AND-WHITE ANIMALS

Reveal all four words
  • ORCA
  • PANDA
  • SKUNK
  • ZEBRA

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHAIN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SEQUENCE

Reveal all four words
  • CHAIN
  • SERIES
  • STRING
  • TRAIN

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BASS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

HETERONYMS

Reveal all four words
  • BASS
  • DESERT
  • DOVE
  • WIND

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BEAR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ TRAP

Reveal all four words
  • BEAR
  • SAND
  • SPEED
  • TOURIST

Each entry comes before "TRAP" to form a word, expression or name: BEAR → BEAR TRAP; SAND → SAND TRAP; SPEED → SPEED TRAP; TOURIST → TOURIST TRAP.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: BLACK-AND-WHITE ANIMALS
  • Green: SEQUENCE
  • Blue: HETERONYMS
  • Purple: ___ TRAP

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BLACK-AND-WHITE ANIMALS

ORCA · PANDA · SKUNK · ZEBRA

Green

SEQUENCE

CHAIN · SERIES · STRING · TRAIN

Blue

HETERONYMS

BASS · DESERT · DOVE · WIND

Purple

___ TRAP

BEAR · SAND · SPEED · TOURIST

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.