A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #631
hints & answers for March 3, 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 March 3, 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 C, L, L and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHILL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BE AT LEISURE

Reveal all four words
  • CHILL
  • LOAF
  • LOUNGE
  • REST

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BAR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FORMATS OF GOLD

Reveal all four words
  • BAR
  • COIN
  • LEAF
  • NUGGET

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOLT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CYLINDER OF MATERIAL

Reveal all four words
  • BOLT
  • REEL
  • ROLL
  • SCROLL

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BONE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SEEN IN “THE FLINTSTONES”

Reveal all four words
  • BONE
  • CLUB
  • DINOSAUR
  • RUBBLE
Show categories only
  • Yellow: BE AT LEISURE
  • Green: FORMATS OF GOLD
  • Blue: CYLINDER OF MATERIAL
  • Purple: SEEN IN “THE FLINTSTONES”

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BE AT LEISURE

CHILL · LOAF · LOUNGE · REST

Green

FORMATS OF GOLD

BAR · COIN · LEAF · NUGGET

Blue

CYLINDER OF MATERIAL

BOLT · REEL · ROLL · SCROLL

Purple

SEEN IN “THE FLINTSTONES”

BONE · CLUB · DINOSAUR · RUBBLE

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.