A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #307
hints & answers for April 13, 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 April 13, 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 C, R, T and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CLOWN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SEEN AT THE CIRCUS

Reveal all four words
  • CLOWN
  • RING
  • TENT
  • TRAPEZE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

LION belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

“THE WIZARD OF OZ” FIGURES

Reveal all four words
  • LION
  • SCARECROW
  • WITCH
  • WIZARD

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

HAIR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FILM DEPARTMENTS

Reveal all four words
  • HAIR
  • MAKEUP
  • PROPS
  • WARDROBE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

JOKER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

“I’M A ___” (LYRICS IN “THE JOKER”)

Reveal all four words
  • JOKER
  • LOVER
  • SINNER
  • SMOKER
Show categories only
  • Yellow: SEEN AT THE CIRCUS
  • Green: “THE WIZARD OF OZ” FIGURES
  • Blue: FILM DEPARTMENTS
  • Purple: “I’M A ___” (LYRICS IN “THE JOKER”)

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SEEN AT THE CIRCUS

CLOWN · RING · TENT · TRAPEZE

Green

“THE WIZARD OF OZ” FIGURES

LION · SCARECROW · WITCH · WIZARD

Blue

FILM DEPARTMENTS

HAIR · MAKEUP · PROPS · WARDROBE

Purple

“I’M A ___” (LYRICS IN “THE JOKER”)

JOKER · LOVER · SINNER · SMOKER

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.