A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #698
hints & answers for May 9, 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 9, 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, C and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BRIGHTNESS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TV DISPLAY SETTINGS

Reveal all four words
  • BRIGHTNESS
  • COLOR
  • CONTRAST
  • TINT

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DIM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FUZZY, AS A MEMORY

Reveal all four words
  • DIM
  • FAINT
  • REMOTE
  • VAGUE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DIFFERENCE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

RESULTS OF SOME ARITHMETIC

Reveal all four words
  • DIFFERENCE
  • PRODUCT
  • QUOTIENT
  • SUM

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BLIND belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WINDOW TREATMENTS IN THE SINGULAR

Reveal all four words
  • BLIND
  • DRAPE
  • SHADE
  • SHUTTER
Show categories only
  • Yellow: TV DISPLAY SETTINGS
  • Green: FUZZY, AS A MEMORY
  • Blue: RESULTS OF SOME ARITHMETIC
  • Purple: WINDOW TREATMENTS IN THE SINGULAR

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

TV DISPLAY SETTINGS

BRIGHTNESS · COLOR · CONTRAST · TINT

Green

FUZZY, AS A MEMORY

DIM · FAINT · REMOTE · VAGUE

Blue

RESULTS OF SOME ARITHMETIC

DIFFERENCE · PRODUCT · QUOTIENT · SUM

Purple

WINDOW TREATMENTS IN THE SINGULAR

BLIND · DRAPE · SHADE · SHUTTER

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.