A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #479
hints & answers for October 2, 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 October 2, 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, C, G and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PUT ON THE LINE

Reveal all four words
  • BET
  • CHANCE
  • GAMBLE
  • RISK

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CUBE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

USE A KITCHEN KNIFE

Reveal all four words
  • CUBE
  • DICE
  • JULIENNE
  • SLICE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, H, J and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CASINO belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ROBERT DE NIRO FILMS

Reveal all four words
  • CASINO
  • HEAT
  • JOKER
  • TAXI DRIVER

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

OCTOPUS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DISTINCTIVE NUMBER OF ARMS (OR LACK THEREOF)

Reveal all four words
  • OCTOPUS
  • SHIVA
  • SLOT MACHINE
  • VENUS DE MILO
Show categories only
  • Yellow: PUT ON THE LINE
  • Green: USE A KITCHEN KNIFE
  • Blue: ROBERT DE NIRO FILMS
  • Purple: DISTINCTIVE NUMBER OF ARMS (OR LACK THEREOF)

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

PUT ON THE LINE

BET · CHANCE · GAMBLE · RISK

Green

USE A KITCHEN KNIFE

CUBE · DICE · JULIENNE · SLICE

Blue

ROBERT DE NIRO FILMS

CASINO · HEAT · JOKER · TAXI DRIVER

Purple

DISTINCTIVE NUMBER OF ARMS (OR LACK THEREOF)

OCTOPUS · SHIVA · SLOT MACHINE · VENUS DE MILO

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.