A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #509
hints & answers for November 1, 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 November 1, 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 C, C, D and I. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CRAWL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PROGRESS SLOWLY

Reveal all four words
  • CRAWL
  • CREEP
  • DRAG
  • INCH

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOTTLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WAYS TO ORDER A BEER

Reveal all four words
  • BOTTLE
  • CAN
  • DRAFT
  • TAP

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BALL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CHEESY CORN SNACK UNIT

Reveal all four words
  • BALL
  • CURL
  • DOODLE
  • PUFF

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BUTTERFLY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ EFFECT

Reveal all four words
  • BUTTERFLY
  • DOMINO
  • HALO
  • PLACEBO

Each entry comes before "EFFECT" to form a word, expression or name: BUTTERFLY → BUTTERFLY EFFECT; DOMINO → DOMINO EFFECT; HALO → HALO EFFECT; PLACEBO → PLACEBO EFFECT.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: PROGRESS SLOWLY
  • Green: WAYS TO ORDER A BEER
  • Blue: CHEESY CORN SNACK UNIT
  • Purple: ___ EFFECT

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

PROGRESS SLOWLY

CRAWL · CREEP · DRAG · INCH

Green

WAYS TO ORDER A BEER

BOTTLE · CAN · DRAFT · TAP

Blue

CHEESY CORN SNACK UNIT

BALL · CURL · DOODLE · PUFF

Purple

___ EFFECT

BUTTERFLY · DOMINO · HALO · PLACEBO

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.