A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #290
hints & answers for March 27, 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 March 27, 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, C, F and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

AMEND belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

UPDATE FOR ACCURACY

Reveal all four words
  • AMEND
  • CORRECT
  • FIX
  • REVISE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FIGHT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

QUARREL

Reveal all four words
  • FIGHT
  • ROW
  • SCRAP
  • TIFF

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, L, R and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BINGO belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

GAMES OF CHANCE

Reveal all four words
  • BINGO
  • LOTTERY
  • ROULETTE
  • WAR

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BLUE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ CHIP

Reveal all four words
  • BLUE
  • COMPUTER
  • POKER
  • POTATO

Each entry comes before "CHIP" to form a word, expression or name: BLUE → BLUE CHIP; COMPUTER → COMPUTER CHIP; POKER → POKER CHIP; POTATO → POTATO CHIP.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: UPDATE FOR ACCURACY
  • Green: QUARREL
  • Blue: GAMES OF CHANCE
  • Purple: ___ CHIP

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

UPDATE FOR ACCURACY

AMEND · CORRECT · FIX · REVISE

Green

QUARREL

FIGHT · ROW · SCRAP · TIFF

Blue

GAMES OF CHANCE

BINGO · LOTTERY · ROULETTE · WAR

Purple

___ CHIP

BLUE · COMPUTER · POKER · POTATO

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.