A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #573
hints & answers for January 4, 2025

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 January 4, 2025. 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, C, S and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BALL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CRUSH INTO A COMPACT SHAPE

Reveal all four words
  • BALL
  • CRUMPLE
  • SCRUNCH
  • WAD

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BUCKLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FASTENERS

Reveal all four words
  • BUCKLE
  • CLIP
  • HOOK
  • SNAP

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHECK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MARK AS COMPLETED

Reveal all four words
  • CHECK
  • CROSS
  • STRIKE
  • TICK

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ANT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DEPICTED IN DALÍ’S “THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY”

Reveal all four words
  • ANT
  • BRANCH
  • CLOCK
  • MELTING
Show categories only
  • Yellow: CRUSH INTO A COMPACT SHAPE
  • Green: FASTENERS
  • Blue: MARK AS COMPLETED
  • Purple: DEPICTED IN DALÍ’S “THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY”

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CRUSH INTO A COMPACT SHAPE

BALL · CRUMPLE · SCRUNCH · WAD

Green

FASTENERS

BUCKLE · CLIP · HOOK · SNAP

Blue

MARK AS COMPLETED

CHECK · CROSS · STRIKE · TICK

Purple

DEPICTED IN DALÍ’S “THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY”

ANT · BRANCH · CLOCK · MELTING

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.