A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #731
hints & answers for June 11, 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 11, 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, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BLUSTER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BOAST

Reveal all four words
  • BLUSTER
  • CROW
  • SHOW OFF
  • STRUT

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BANANA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ARC-SHAPED THINGS

Reveal all four words
  • BANANA
  • EYEBROW
  • FLIGHT PATH
  • RAINBOW

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COUNT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CEREAL MASCOTS

Reveal all four words
  • COUNT
  • ELVES
  • LEPRECHAUN
  • ROOSTER

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ASTERISK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WAYS TO DENOTE A CITATION

Reveal all four words
  • ASTERISK
  • DAGGER
  • NUMBER
  • PARENS
Show categories only
  • Yellow: BOAST
  • Green: ARC-SHAPED THINGS
  • Blue: CEREAL MASCOTS
  • Purple: WAYS TO DENOTE A CITATION

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BOAST

BLUSTER · CROW · SHOW OFF · STRUT

Green

ARC-SHAPED THINGS

BANANA · EYEBROW · FLIGHT PATH · RAINBOW

Blue

CEREAL MASCOTS

COUNT · ELVES · LEPRECHAUN · ROOSTER

Purple

WAYS TO DENOTE A CITATION

ASTERISK · DAGGER · NUMBER · PARENS

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.