A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #693
hints & answers for May 4, 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 May 4, 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, D, S and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHEWY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

QUALITIES OF OVERCOOKED MEAT

Reveal all four words
  • CHEWY
  • DRY
  • STRINGY
  • TOUGH

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

JAM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PLAY SOME ELECTRIC GUITAR

Reveal all four words
  • JAM
  • NOODLE
  • SHRED
  • SOLO

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOBA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

INGREDIENTS IN BUBBLE TEA

Reveal all four words
  • BOBA
  • MILK
  • SUGAR
  • TEA

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BLUTO belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PLANETS/DWARF PLANET WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED

Reveal all four words
  • BLUTO
  • CARS
  • DARTH
  • GENUS
Show categories only
  • Yellow: QUALITIES OF OVERCOOKED MEAT
  • Green: PLAY SOME ELECTRIC GUITAR
  • Blue: INGREDIENTS IN BUBBLE TEA
  • Purple: PLANETS/DWARF PLANET WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

QUALITIES OF OVERCOOKED MEAT

CHEWY · DRY · STRINGY · TOUGH

Green

PLAY SOME ELECTRIC GUITAR

JAM · NOODLE · SHRED · SOLO

Blue

INGREDIENTS IN BUBBLE TEA

BOBA · MILK · SUGAR · TEA

Purple

PLANETS/DWARF PLANET WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED

BLUTO · CARS · DARTH · GENUS

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.