A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #446
hints & answers for August 30, 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 August 30, 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 D, G, G and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DIAMOND belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPARKLING THINGS

Reveal all four words
  • DIAMOND
  • GLITTER
  • GOLD
  • SEQUIN

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOX belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PARTICIPATE IN SUMMER OLYMPIC EVENTS

Reveal all four words
  • BOX
  • DIVE
  • FENCE
  • ROW

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

GARDENS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Reveal all four words
  • GARDENS
  • LIGHTHOUSE
  • PYRAMID
  • TEMPLE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

CREAM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ICE ___

Reveal all four words
  • CREAM
  • CUBE
  • MACHINE
  • STORM

Each entry comes after "ICE" to form a word, expression or name: CREAM → ICE CREAM; CUBE → ICE CUBE; MACHINE → ICE MACHINE; STORM → ICE STORM.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: SPARKLING THINGS
  • Green: PARTICIPATE IN SUMMER OLYMPIC EVENTS
  • Blue: WONDERS OF THE WORLD
  • Purple: ICE ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SPARKLING THINGS

DIAMOND · GLITTER · GOLD · SEQUIN

Green

PARTICIPATE IN SUMMER OLYMPIC EVENTS

BOX · DIVE · FENCE · ROW

Blue

WONDERS OF THE WORLD

GARDENS · LIGHTHOUSE · PYRAMID · TEMPLE

Purple

ICE ___

CREAM · CUBE · MACHINE · STORM

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.