A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #309
hints & answers for April 15, 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 15, 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, F, I and M. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

AD-LIB belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

INVENT AS YOU GO

Reveal all four words
  • AD-LIB
  • FREESTYLE
  • IMPROV
  • MAKE UP

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BABBLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS BABIES DO

Reveal all four words
  • BABBLE
  • COO
  • CRAWL
  • NURSE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COSMETIC belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SUPERFICIAL

Reveal all four words
  • COSMETIC
  • EXTERNAL
  • SHALLOW
  • SURFACE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BUTTERFLY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ EFFECT

Reveal all four words
  • BUTTERFLY
  • DOMINO
  • PLACEBO
  • SIDE

Each entry comes before "EFFECT" to form a word, expression or name: BUTTERFLY → BUTTERFLY EFFECT; DOMINO → DOMINO EFFECT; PLACEBO → PLACEBO EFFECT; SIDE → SIDE EFFECT.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: INVENT AS YOU GO
  • Green: THINGS BABIES DO
  • Blue: SUPERFICIAL
  • Purple: ___ EFFECT

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

INVENT AS YOU GO

AD-LIB · FREESTYLE · IMPROV · MAKE UP

Green

THINGS BABIES DO

BABBLE · COO · CRAWL · NURSE

Blue

SUPERFICIAL

COSMETIC · EXTERNAL · SHALLOW · SURFACE

Purple

___ EFFECT

BUTTERFLY · DOMINO · PLACEBO · SIDE

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.