A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #535
hints & answers for November 27, 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 27, 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 B, E, G and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BUGGY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

NOT WORKING RELIABLY

Reveal all four words
  • BUGGY
  • ERRATIC
  • GLITCHY
  • SPOTTY

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, G, M and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BUMPER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CAR PARTS

Reveal all four words
  • BUMPER
  • GRILLE
  • MIRROR
  • RIM

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BABY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WHAT A SITTER MIGHT SIT

Reveal all four words
  • BABY
  • HOUSE
  • PET
  • PLANT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BOY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ BAND

Reveal all four words
  • BOY
  • RUBBER
  • TRIBUTE
  • WEDDING

Each entry comes before "BAND" to form a word, expression or name: BOY → BOY BAND; RUBBER → RUBBER BAND; TRIBUTE → TRIBUTE BAND; WEDDING → WEDDING BAND.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: NOT WORKING RELIABLY
  • Green: CAR PARTS
  • Blue: WHAT A SITTER MIGHT SIT
  • Purple: ___ BAND

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

NOT WORKING RELIABLY

BUGGY · ERRATIC · GLITCHY · SPOTTY

Green

CAR PARTS

BUMPER · GRILLE · MIRROR · RIM

Blue

WHAT A SITTER MIGHT SIT

BABY · HOUSE · PET · PLANT

Purple

___ BAND

BOY · RUBBER · TRIBUTE · WEDDING

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.