A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #620
hints & answers for February 20, 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 February 20, 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 A, F, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ALARM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ALERT

Reveal all four words
  • ALARM
  • FLARE
  • SIGNAL
  • SOS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BUNK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPEND THE NIGHT (AT)

Reveal all four words
  • BUNK
  • CRASH
  • SLEEP
  • STAY

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, R, S and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DEW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY MORNING

Reveal all four words
  • DEW
  • ROOSTER
  • SUNRISE
  • WORM

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CIRCLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

COOKIE CUTTER SHAPES IN “SQUID GAME”

Reveal all four words
  • CIRCLE
  • STAR
  • TRIANGLE
  • UMBRELLA
Show categories only
  • Yellow: ALERT
  • Green: SPEND THE NIGHT (AT)
  • Blue: ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY MORNING
  • Purple: COOKIE CUTTER SHAPES IN “SQUID GAME”

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ALERT

ALARM · FLARE · SIGNAL · SOS

Green

SPEND THE NIGHT (AT)

BUNK · CRASH · SLEEP · STAY

Blue

ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY MORNING

DEW · ROOSTER · SUNRISE · WORM

Purple

COOKIE CUTTER SHAPES IN “SQUID GAME”

CIRCLE · STAR · TRIANGLE · UMBRELLA

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.