A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #248
hints & answers for February 14, 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 February 14, 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, G, K and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BRUSH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TOUCH LIGHTLY

Reveal all four words
  • BRUSH
  • GRAZE
  • KISS
  • SKIM

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ODD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF NUMBERS

Reveal all four words
  • ODD
  • PERFECT
  • PRIME
  • WHOLE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

OYSTER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE

Reveal all four words
  • OYSTER
  • PLUM
  • SOY
  • XO

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

CLAW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BEAR ___

Reveal all four words
  • CLAW
  • FRUIT
  • HUG
  • WITNESS

Each entry comes after "BEAR" to form a word, expression or name: CLAW → BEAR CLAW; FRUIT → BEAR FRUIT; HUG → BEAR HUG; WITNESS → BEAR WITNESS.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: TOUCH LIGHTLY
  • Green: KINDS OF NUMBERS
  • Blue: SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE
  • Purple: BEAR ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

TOUCH LIGHTLY

BRUSH · GRAZE · KISS · SKIM

Green

KINDS OF NUMBERS

ODD · PERFECT · PRIME · WHOLE

Blue

SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE

OYSTER · PLUM · SOY · XO

Purple

BEAR ___

CLAW · FRUIT · HUG · WITNESS

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.