A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #757
hints & answers for July 7, 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 July 7, 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, L, R and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CANARY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

INFORMANT

Reveal all four words
  • CANARY
  • LEAK
  • RAT
  • SOURCE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FOOTPRINT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BIG IMPRESSION

Reveal all four words
  • FOOTPRINT
  • IMPACT
  • MARK
  • SPLASH

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BLOCK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BASKETBALL MOVES

Reveal all four words
  • BLOCK
  • DRIBBLE
  • PASS
  • SHOOT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

BANANA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TOP ___

Reveal all four words
  • BANANA
  • DOG
  • HAT
  • SECRET

Each entry comes after "TOP" to form a word, expression or name: BANANA → TOP BANANA; DOG → TOP DOG; HAT → TOP HAT; SECRET → TOP SECRET.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: INFORMANT
  • Green: BIG IMPRESSION
  • Blue: BASKETBALL MOVES
  • Purple: TOP ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

INFORMANT

CANARY · LEAK · RAT · SOURCE

Green

BIG IMPRESSION

FOOTPRINT · IMPACT · MARK · SPLASH

Blue

BASKETBALL MOVES

BLOCK · DRIBBLE · PASS · SHOOT

Purple

TOP ___

BANANA · DOG · HAT · SECRET

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.