A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #212
hints & answers for January 9, 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 9, 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, M, R and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BROOM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CLEANING SUPPLIES

Reveal all four words
  • BROOM
  • MOP
  • RAG
  • SPONGE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ACID belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ELEMENTS OF COOKING, PER SAMIN NOSRAT

Reveal all four words
  • ACID
  • FAT
  • HEAT
  • SALT

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DUST belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SNEEZE

Reveal all four words
  • DUST
  • PEPPER
  • POLLEN
  • SMOKE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

MAGNUM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TITULAR FICTIONAL DETECTIVES

Reveal all four words
  • MAGNUM
  • MONK
  • SHAFT
  • TRACY
Show categories only
  • Yellow: CLEANING SUPPLIES
  • Green: ELEMENTS OF COOKING, PER SAMIN NOSRAT
  • Blue: THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SNEEZE
  • Purple: TITULAR FICTIONAL DETECTIVES

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CLEANING SUPPLIES

BROOM · MOP · RAG · SPONGE

Green

ELEMENTS OF COOKING, PER SAMIN NOSRAT

ACID · FAT · HEAT · SALT

Blue

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SNEEZE

DUST · PEPPER · POLLEN · SMOKE

Purple

TITULAR FICTIONAL DETECTIVES

MAGNUM · MONK · SHAFT · TRACY

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.