A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #686
hints & answers for April 27, 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 27, 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 E, M, P and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

EQUALS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CALCULATOR BUTTONS

Reveal all four words
  • EQUALS
  • MINUS
  • PERCENT
  • TIMES

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

LOCK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

AMOUNTS OF HAIR

Reveal all four words
  • LOCK
  • SHOCK
  • THATCH
  • TUFT

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COMBO belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SALTY SNACK UNIT

Reveal all four words
  • COMBO
  • GOLDFISH
  • RUFFLE
  • TAKI

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

CHEF belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SWEDISH ___

Reveal all four words
  • CHEF
  • FISH
  • MASSAGE
  • MEATBALL

Each entry comes after "SWEDISH" to form a word, expression or name: CHEF → SWEDISH CHEF; FISH → SWEDISH FISH; MASSAGE → SWEDISH MASSAGE; MEATBALL → SWEDISH MEATBALL.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: CALCULATOR BUTTONS
  • Green: AMOUNTS OF HAIR
  • Blue: SALTY SNACK UNIT
  • Purple: SWEDISH ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

CALCULATOR BUTTONS

EQUALS · MINUS · PERCENT · TIMES

Green

AMOUNTS OF HAIR

LOCK · SHOCK · THATCH · TUFT

Blue

SALTY SNACK UNIT

COMBO · GOLDFISH · RUFFLE · TAKI

Purple

SWEDISH ___

CHEF · FISH · MASSAGE · MEATBALL

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.