A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #453
hints & answers for September 6, 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 September 6, 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, N and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

AMOUNT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

QUANTITY

Reveal all four words
  • AMOUNT
  • COUNT
  • NUMBER
  • TOTAL

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

AFFAIR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

INCIDENT

Reveal all four words
  • AFFAIR
  • EPISODE
  • EVENT
  • MATTER

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BILL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS RECEIVED IN THE MAIL

Reveal all four words
  • BILL
  • CARD
  • CATALOG
  • LETTER

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOUNCE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WHAT “SPRING” MIGHT REFER TO

Reveal all four words
  • BOUNCE
  • COIL
  • GEYSER
  • SEASON
Show categories only
  • Yellow: QUANTITY
  • Green: INCIDENT
  • Blue: THINGS RECEIVED IN THE MAIL
  • Purple: WHAT “SPRING” MIGHT REFER TO

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

QUANTITY

AMOUNT · COUNT · NUMBER · TOTAL

Green

INCIDENT

AFFAIR · EPISODE · EVENT · MATTER

Blue

THINGS RECEIVED IN THE MAIL

BILL · CARD · CATALOG · LETTER

Purple

WHAT “SPRING” MIGHT REFER TO

BOUNCE · COIL · GEYSER · SEASON

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.