A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1014
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 B, F, P and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BLUNT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DIRECT

Reveal all four words
  • BLUNT
  • FRANK
  • PLAIN
  • STRAIGHT

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

GOAL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TARGET

Reveal all four words
  • GOAL
  • MARK
  • OBJECT
  • POINT

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CAPTURE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CHECKERS TERMS

Reveal all four words
  • CAPTURE
  • CROWN
  • JUMP
  • KING

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BISHOP belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

20TH CENTURY AMERICAN POETS

Reveal all four words
  • BISHOP
  • FROST
  • POUND
  • RICH

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

DIRECT

BLUNT · FRANK · PLAIN · STRAIGHT

Green

TARGET

GOAL · MARK · OBJECT · POINT

Blue

CHECKERS TERMS

CAPTURE · CROWN · JUMP · KING

Purple

20TH CENTURY AMERICAN POETS

BISHOP · FROST · POUND · RICH

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.