A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #220
hints & answers for January 17, 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 17, 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 M, M, M and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

MEAN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DATA SET DATA

Reveal all four words
  • MEAN
  • MEDIAN
  • MODE
  • RANGE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BASE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CHEMISTRY TERMS

Reveal all four words
  • BASE
  • BOND
  • ELEMENT
  • SOLUTION

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

AWFUL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ADJECTIVE INTENSIFIERS

Reveal all four words
  • AWFUL
  • PRETTY
  • RATHER
  • REAL

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

GLASS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

RADIO HALL OF FAME MEMBERS

Reveal all four words
  • GLASS
  • GROSS
  • KING
  • STERN
Show categories only
  • Yellow: DATA SET DATA
  • Green: CHEMISTRY TERMS
  • Blue: ADJECTIVE INTENSIFIERS
  • Purple: RADIO HALL OF FAME MEMBERS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

DATA SET DATA

MEAN · MEDIAN · MODE · RANGE

Green

CHEMISTRY TERMS

BASE · BOND · ELEMENT · SOLUTION

Blue

ADJECTIVE INTENSIFIERS

AWFUL · PRETTY · RATHER · REAL

Purple

RADIO HALL OF FAME MEMBERS

GLASS · GROSS · KING · STERN

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.