A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #521
hints & answers for November 13, 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 13, 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
Gentle hint

Picture their usual colour, rather than their purpose.

Show one word

CANARY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW

Reveal all four words
  • CANARY
  • LEMON
  • MINION
  • MUSTARD

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ADDITION belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BUILDING ADD-ONS

Reveal all four words
  • ADDITION
  • ANNEX
  • EXTENSION
  • WING

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CALCULUS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST

Reveal all four words
  • CALCULUS
  • CAVITY
  • PLAQUE
  • TARTAR

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COLONEL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN

Reveal all four words
  • COLONEL
  • PHARAOH
  • WEDNESDAY
  • WORCESTERSHIRE
Show categories only
  • Yellow: THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW
  • Green: BUILDING ADD-ONS
  • Blue: CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST
  • Purple: WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW

CANARY · LEMON · MINION · MUSTARD

Green

BUILDING ADD-ONS

ADDITION · ANNEX · EXTENSION · WING

Blue

CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST

CALCULUS · CAVITY · PLAQUE · TARTAR

Purple

WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN

COLONEL · PHARAOH · WEDNESDAY · WORCESTERSHIRE

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.