A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #210
hints & answers for January 7, 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 7, 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 A, A, A and M. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ALPHABET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TECH COMPANIES

Reveal all four words
  • ALPHABET
  • AMAZON
  • APPLE
  • META

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BAR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF EXAMS

Reveal all four words
  • BAR
  • FINAL
  • ORAL
  • PHYSICAL

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BEAUTY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SOMETHING EXEMPLARY

Reveal all four words
  • BEAUTY
  • GEM
  • MARVEL
  • PEACH

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BABY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ TOOTH

Reveal all four words
  • BABY
  • EYE
  • SWEET
  • WISDOM

Each entry comes before "TOOTH" to form a word, expression or name: BABY → BABY TOOTH; EYE → EYE TOOTH; SWEET → SWEET TOOTH; WISDOM → WISDOM TOOTH.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: TECH COMPANIES
  • Green: KINDS OF EXAMS
  • Blue: SOMETHING EXEMPLARY
  • Purple: ___ TOOTH

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

TECH COMPANIES

ALPHABET · AMAZON · APPLE · META

Green

KINDS OF EXAMS

BAR · FINAL · ORAL · PHYSICAL

Blue

SOMETHING EXEMPLARY

BEAUTY · GEM · MARVEL · PEACH

Purple

___ TOOTH

BABY · EYE · SWEET · WISDOM

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.