A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #498
hints & answers for October 21, 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 21, 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 K, M, N and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

KIDNEY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF BEANS

Reveal all four words
  • KIDNEY
  • MUNG
  • NAVY
  • PINTO

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, G, H and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DRAW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ATTRACT

Reveal all four words
  • DRAW
  • GRAB
  • HOOK
  • PULL

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DRIVE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTER POSITIONS

Reveal all four words
  • DRIVE
  • LOW
  • NEUTRAL
  • REVERSE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

CAR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___POOL

Reveal all four words
  • CAR
  • DEAD
  • LIVER
  • WHIRL

Each entry comes before "POOL" to form a word, expression or name: CAR → CAR POOL; DEAD → DEAD POOL; LIVER → LIVER POOL; WHIRL → WHIRL POOL.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: KINDS OF BEANS
  • Green: ATTRACT
  • Blue: AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTER POSITIONS
  • Purple: ___POOL

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

KINDS OF BEANS

KIDNEY · MUNG · NAVY · PINTO

Green

ATTRACT

DRAW · GRAB · HOOK · PULL

Blue

AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTER POSITIONS

DRIVE · LOW · NEUTRAL · REVERSE

Purple

___POOL

CAR · DEAD · LIVER · WHIRL

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.