A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #562
hints & answers for December 24, 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 24, 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, L, O and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BEARS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

“LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!”

Reveal all four words
  • BEARS
  • LIONS
  • OH MY
  • TIGERS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CLOSE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BELOVED, AS A FRIEND

Reveal all four words
  • CLOSE
  • DEAR
  • INTIMATE
  • TIGHT

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, E, J and U. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BEES belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE PLURAL LETTERS

Reveal all four words
  • BEES
  • EASE
  • JAYS
  • USE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BILLS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WHEN TRIPLED, HIT SONG TITLES

Reveal all four words
  • BILLS
  • BYE
  • GIMME
  • PLEASE
Show categories only
  • Yellow: “LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!”
  • Green: BELOVED, AS A FRIEND
  • Blue: WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE PLURAL LETTERS
  • Purple: WHEN TRIPLED, HIT SONG TITLES

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

“LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!”

BEARS · LIONS · OH MY · TIGERS

Green

BELOVED, AS A FRIEND

CLOSE · DEAR · INTIMATE · TIGHT

Blue

WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE PLURAL LETTERS

BEES · EASE · JAYS · USE

Purple

WHEN TRIPLED, HIT SONG TITLES

BILLS · BYE · GIMME · PLEASE

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.