A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #981
hints & answers

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

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 H, L, R and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

HOOT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KNEE-SLAPPER

Reveal all four words
  • HOOT
  • LAUGH
  • RIOT
  • SCREAM

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
Gentle hint

Try saying these aloud instead of looking at their spelling.

Show one word

DO belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

HOMOPHONES

Reveal all four words
  • DO
  • DOE
  • DOH
  • DOUGH

These entries are pronounced alike despite their different spellings.

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BUCK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES

Reveal all four words
  • BUCK
  • CACKLE
  • CLUCK
  • SQUAWK

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FAWN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STRESS RESPONSES

Reveal all four words
  • FAWN
  • FIGHT
  • FLIGHT
  • FREEZE

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

KNEE-SLAPPER

HOOT · LAUGH · RIOT · SCREAM

Green

HOMOPHONES

DO · DOE · DOH · DOUGH

Blue

SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES

BUCK · CACKLE · CLUCK · SQUAWK

Purple

STRESS RESPONSES

FAWN · FIGHT · FLIGHT · FREEZE

Make the connection

Four groups. Just enough help.

Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. Each group shares something: a meaning, a phrase, a sound, or an unexpected bit of wordplay.

Start with the group that has you stuck. Open its hint, try again, and reveal more only when you need it. Nothing you open will uncover a different group.

Before you spend another guess

  • Find all four. Three convincing words can still be a trap. Look for a fourth that fits the same rule.
  • Change the meaning. A word can be a noun, a verb, a name, or part of a phrase. Try reading it another way.
  • Leave room for overlap. If five words seem to fit, test which one could belong to another group.
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.