A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #473
hints & answers for September 26, 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 26, 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 B, F, F and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BORDER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DECORATIVE EDGE

Reveal all four words
  • BORDER
  • FRILL
  • FRINGE
  • TRIM

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

GROW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

INCREASE, IN A WAY

Reveal all four words
  • GROW
  • MOUNT
  • SWELL
  • WAX

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, N, S and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DRY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPECIFICATIONS FOR A BARTENDER

Reveal all four words
  • DRY
  • NEAT
  • STRAIGHT
  • VIRGIN

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

BEAN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STRING ___

Reveal all four words
  • BEAN
  • BIKINI
  • CHEESE
  • THEORY

Each entry comes after "STRING" to form a word, expression or name: BEAN → STRING BEAN; BIKINI → STRING BIKINI; CHEESE → STRING CHEESE; THEORY → STRING THEORY.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: DECORATIVE EDGE
  • Green: INCREASE, IN A WAY
  • Blue: SPECIFICATIONS FOR A BARTENDER
  • Purple: STRING ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

DECORATIVE EDGE

BORDER · FRILL · FRINGE · TRIM

Green

INCREASE, IN A WAY

GROW · MOUNT · SWELL · WAX

Blue

SPECIFICATIONS FOR A BARTENDER

DRY · NEAT · STRAIGHT · VIRGIN

Purple

STRING ___

BEAN · BIKINI · CHEESE · THEORY

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.