A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #262
hints & answers for February 28, 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 28, 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 A, B, J and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

AMERICAN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CHEESES, FAMILIARLY

Reveal all four words
  • AMERICAN
  • BLUE
  • JACK
  • SWISS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

HAMMER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TRACK AND FIELD EQUIPMENT

Reveal all four words
  • HAMMER
  • HURDLE
  • JAVELIN
  • POLE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CUBAN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF HEELS

Reveal all four words
  • CUBAN
  • KITTEN
  • STILETTO
  • WEDGE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

DATE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DOUBLE ___

Reveal all four words
  • DATE
  • DUTCH
  • JEOPARDY
  • SPACE

Each entry comes after "DOUBLE" to form a word, expression or name: DATE → DOUBLE DATE; DUTCH → DOUBLE DUTCH; JEOPARDY → DOUBLE JEOPARDY; SPACE → DOUBLE SPACE.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: CHEESES, FAMILIARLY
  • Green: TRACK AND FIELD EQUIPMENT
  • Blue: KINDS OF HEELS
  • Purple: DOUBLE ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CHEESES, FAMILIARLY

AMERICAN · BLUE · JACK · SWISS

Green

TRACK AND FIELD EQUIPMENT

HAMMER · HURDLE · JAVELIN · POLE

Blue

KINDS OF HEELS

CUBAN · KITTEN · STILETTO · WEDGE

Purple

DOUBLE ___

DATE · DUTCH · JEOPARDY · SPACE

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.