A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #675
hints & answers for April 16, 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 April 16, 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, G and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BURLESQUE WEAR

Reveal all four words
  • BOA
  • CORSET
  • GARTER
  • STOCKINGS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

SCAR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MESS UP THE SURFACE OF

Reveal all four words
  • SCAR
  • SCORE
  • SCRAPE
  • SCRATCH

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CROWD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THEY ROAR

Reveal all four words
  • CROWD
  • ENGINE
  • KATY PERRY
  • LION

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

MAMBA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

LATIN DANCES WITH A VOWEL CHANGED

Reveal all four words
  • MAMBA
  • MERINGUE
  • SIMBA
  • TANGY
Show categories only
  • Yellow: BURLESQUE WEAR
  • Green: MESS UP THE SURFACE OF
  • Blue: THEY ROAR
  • Purple: LATIN DANCES WITH A VOWEL CHANGED

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BURLESQUE WEAR

BOA · CORSET · GARTER · STOCKINGS

Green

MESS UP THE SURFACE OF

SCAR · SCORE · SCRAPE · SCRATCH

Blue

THEY ROAR

CROWD · ENGINE · KATY PERRY · LION

Purple

LATIN DANCES WITH A VOWEL CHANGED

MAMBA · MERINGUE · SIMBA · TANGY

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.