A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #480
hints & answers for October 3, 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 3, 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 J, M, P and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

JUICE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BEVERAGES

Reveal all four words
  • JUICE
  • MILK
  • PUNCH
  • SODA

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with F, P, P and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

FERTILIZE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CARE FOR A PLANT

Reveal all four words
  • FERTILIZE
  • POT
  • PRUNE
  • WATER

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOOKEND belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ITEM SOLD IN PAIRS

Reveal all four words
  • BOOKEND
  • EARBUD
  • SKI
  • SOCK

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BLOUSE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BUGS PLUS STARTING LETTER

Reveal all four words
  • BLOUSE
  • PANT
  • SMITE
  • STICK
Show categories only
  • Yellow: BEVERAGES
  • Green: CARE FOR A PLANT
  • Blue: ITEM SOLD IN PAIRS
  • Purple: BUGS PLUS STARTING LETTER

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BEVERAGES

JUICE · MILK · PUNCH · SODA

Green

CARE FOR A PLANT

FERTILIZE · POT · PRUNE · WATER

Blue

ITEM SOLD IN PAIRS

BOOKEND · EARBUD · SKI · SOCK

Purple

BUGS PLUS STARTING LETTER

BLOUSE · PANT · SMITE · STICK

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.