A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #205
hints & answers for January 2, 2024

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 January 2, 2024. 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, L and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BACON belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

B.L.T. INGREDIENTS

Reveal all four words
  • BACON
  • BREAD
  • LETTUCE
  • TOMATO

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BLOCK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

OBSTRUCT

Reveal all four words
  • BLOCK
  • CLOG
  • JAM
  • STOP

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DOUBLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BASEBALL STATS

Reveal all four words
  • DOUBLE
  • HIT
  • RUN
  • WALK

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

FRY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SMALL ___

Reveal all four words
  • FRY
  • TALK
  • WONDER
  • WORLD

Each entry comes after "SMALL" to form a word, expression or name: FRY → SMALL FRY; TALK → SMALL TALK; WONDER → SMALL WONDER; WORLD → SMALL WORLD.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: B.L.T. INGREDIENTS
  • Green: OBSTRUCT
  • Blue: BASEBALL STATS
  • Purple: SMALL ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

B.L.T. INGREDIENTS

BACON · BREAD · LETTUCE · TOMATO

Green

OBSTRUCT

BLOCK · CLOG · JAM · STOP

Blue

BASEBALL STATS

DOUBLE · HIT · RUN · WALK

Purple

SMALL ___

FRY · TALK · WONDER · WORLD

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.