A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #496
hints & answers

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

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 G, I, P and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

GENERATE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BRING ABOUT

Reveal all four words
  • GENERATE
  • INSPIRE
  • PROMPT
  • PROVOKE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CANDLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS THAT ARE OFTEN SCENTED

Reveal all four words
  • CANDLE
  • INCENSE
  • LOTION
  • SOAP

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with I, J, N and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

INSULT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS THAT MIGHT STING

Reveal all four words
  • INSULT
  • JELLYFISH
  • NETTLE
  • WASP

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CIVILIZATION belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

VIDEO GAME FRANCHISES

Reveal all four words
  • CIVILIZATION
  • HALO
  • MADDEN
  • METROID

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BRING ABOUT

GENERATE · INSPIRE · PROMPT · PROVOKE

Green

THINGS THAT ARE OFTEN SCENTED

CANDLE · INCENSE · LOTION · SOAP

Blue

THINGS THAT MIGHT STING

INSULT · JELLYFISH · NETTLE · WASP

Purple

VIDEO GAME FRANCHISES

CIVILIZATION · HALO · MADDEN · METROID

Make the connection

Four groups. Just enough help.

Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. Each group shares something: a meaning, a phrase, a sound, or an unexpected bit of wordplay.

Start with the group that has you stuck. Open its hint, try again, and reveal more only when you need it. Nothing you open will uncover a different group.

Before you spend another guess

  • Find all four. Three convincing words can still be a trap. Look for a fourth that fits the same rule.
  • Change the meaning. A word can be a noun, a verb, a name, or part of a phrase. Try reading it another way.
  • Leave room for overlap. If five words seem to fit, test which one could belong to another group.
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.