A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #639
hints & answers for March 11, 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 11, 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, B, C and D. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ALTERNATIVE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

VARIATION FROM THE NORM

Reveal all four words
  • ALTERNATIVE
  • BREAK
  • CHANGE
  • DEPARTURE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ALARM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS THAT RING

Reveal all four words
  • ALARM
  • BELL
  • INTERCOM
  • PHONE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FOOTBALL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS TRADITIONALLY MADE OF LEATHER

Reveal all four words
  • FOOTBALL
  • MOCCASINS
  • SADDLE
  • WALLET

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

KEYS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SINGER-SONGWRITER PIANISTS

Reveal all four words
  • KEYS
  • KING
  • LEGEND
  • WONDER
Show categories only
  • Yellow: VARIATION FROM THE NORM
  • Green: THINGS THAT RING
  • Blue: THINGS TRADITIONALLY MADE OF LEATHER
  • Purple: SINGER-SONGWRITER PIANISTS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

VARIATION FROM THE NORM

ALTERNATIVE · BREAK · CHANGE · DEPARTURE

Green

THINGS THAT RING

ALARM · BELL · INTERCOM · PHONE

Blue

THINGS TRADITIONALLY MADE OF LEATHER

FOOTBALL · MOCCASINS · SADDLE · WALLET

Purple

SINGER-SONGWRITER PIANISTS

KEYS · KING · LEGEND · WONDER

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.