A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #729
hints & answers for June 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 June 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 P, P, Q and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

PASTE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT COMMANDS

Reveal all four words
  • PASTE
  • PRINT
  • QUIT
  • SAVE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BOOK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SECURE IN ADVANCE

Reveal all four words
  • BOOK
  • ORDER
  • REQUEST
  • RESERVE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CREW belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CRIME ORGANIZATION

Reveal all four words
  • CREW
  • FAMILY
  • RING
  • SYNDICATE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

GENUS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPELLING BEE RANKS MINUS A LETTER

Reveal all four words
  • GENUS
  • GOO
  • MAZING
  • SLID
Show categories only
  • Yellow: KEYBOARD SHORTCUT COMMANDS
  • Green: SECURE IN ADVANCE
  • Blue: CRIME ORGANIZATION
  • Purple: SPELLING BEE RANKS MINUS A LETTER

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT COMMANDS

PASTE · PRINT · QUIT · SAVE

Green

SECURE IN ADVANCE

BOOK · ORDER · REQUEST · RESERVE

Blue

CRIME ORGANIZATION

CREW · FAMILY · RING · SYNDICATE

Purple

SPELLING BEE RANKS MINUS A LETTER

GENUS · GOO · MAZING · SLID

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.