A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #540
hints & answers for December 2, 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 December 2, 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, D, H and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BROADCAST belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ANNOUNCE

Reveal all four words
  • BROADCAST
  • DECLARE
  • HERALD
  • TRUMPET

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CARPENTRY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS INVOLVING MALLETS

Reveal all four words
  • CARPENTRY
  • CROQUET
  • WHAC-A-MOLE
  • XYLOPHONE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CROCODILE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ICON EMBROIDERED ON A POLO SHIRT

Reveal all four words
  • CROCODILE
  • LAUREL
  • POLO PLAYER
  • SWOOSH

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

ALLIGATOR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ CLIP

Reveal all four words
  • ALLIGATOR
  • HAIR
  • PAPER
  • VIDEO

Each entry comes before "CLIP" to form a word, expression or name: ALLIGATOR → ALLIGATOR CLIP; HAIR → HAIR CLIP; PAPER → PAPER CLIP; VIDEO → VIDEO CLIP.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: ANNOUNCE
  • Green: THINGS INVOLVING MALLETS
  • Blue: ICON EMBROIDERED ON A POLO SHIRT
  • Purple: ___ CLIP

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ANNOUNCE

BROADCAST · DECLARE · HERALD · TRUMPET

Green

THINGS INVOLVING MALLETS

CARPENTRY · CROQUET · WHAC-A-MOLE · XYLOPHONE

Blue

ICON EMBROIDERED ON A POLO SHIRT

CROCODILE · LAUREL · POLO PLAYER · SWOOSH

Purple

___ CLIP

ALLIGATOR · HAIR · PAPER · VIDEO

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.