A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #253
hints & answers

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

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 K, L, M and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

KINDLING belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

USED IN BUILDING A FIRE

Reveal all four words
  • KINDLING
  • LOG
  • MATCH
  • TINDER

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BLOW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MESS UP

Reveal all four words
  • BLOW
  • BUMBLE
  • FLUFF
  • SPOIL

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DRILL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORKSHOP TOOLS

Reveal all four words
  • DRILL
  • GRINDER
  • ROUTER
  • SAW

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FRAME belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PARTS OF A DOOR

Reveal all four words
  • FRAME
  • HANDLE
  • HINGE
  • LOCK

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

USED IN BUILDING A FIRE

KINDLING · LOG · MATCH · TINDER

Green

MESS UP

BLOW · BUMBLE · FLUFF · SPOIL

Blue

WORKSHOP TOOLS

DRILL · GRINDER · ROUTER · SAW

Purple

PARTS OF A DOOR

FRAME · HANDLE · HINGE · LOCK

Make the connection

Four groups. Just enough help.

Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. Each group shares something: a meaning, a phrase, a sound, or an unexpected bit of wordplay.

Start with the group that has you stuck. Open its hint, try again, and reveal more only when you need it. Nothing you open will uncover a different group.

Before you spend another guess

  • Find all four. Three convincing words can still be a trap. Look for a fourth that fits the same rule.
  • Change the meaning. A word can be a noun, a verb, a name, or part of a phrase. Try reading it another way.
  • Leave room for overlap. If five words seem to fit, test which one could belong to another group.
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.