A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #255
hints & answers for February 21, 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 21, 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, B, H and N. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BADGERS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PESTERS

Reveal all four words
  • BADGERS
  • BUGS
  • HOUNDS
  • NAGS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ANNIE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TONY WINNERS FOR BEST MUSICAL

Reveal all four words
  • ANNIE
  • CABARET
  • CATS
  • COMPANY

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COMPUTER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THEY HAVE KEYS

Reveal all four words
  • COMPUTER
  • PIANO
  • SUPER
  • TESTS

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

FISH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SCHOOL OF ___

Reveal all four words
  • FISH
  • HARD KNOCKS
  • ROCK
  • THOUGHT

Each entry comes after "SCHOOL OF" to form a word, expression or name: FISH → SCHOOL OF FISH; HARD KNOCKS → SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS; ROCK → SCHOOL OF ROCK; THOUGHT → SCHOOL OF THOUGHT.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: PESTERS
  • Green: TONY WINNERS FOR BEST MUSICAL
  • Blue: THEY HAVE KEYS
  • Purple: SCHOOL OF ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

PESTERS

BADGERS · BUGS · HOUNDS · NAGS

Green

TONY WINNERS FOR BEST MUSICAL

ANNIE · CABARET · CATS · COMPANY

Blue

THEY HAVE KEYS

COMPUTER · PIANO · SUPER · TESTS

Purple

SCHOOL OF ___

FISH · HARD KNOCKS · ROCK · THOUGHT

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.