Yellow group
Straightforward
Gentle hint
An extremely small amount of time.
Show one word
BLINK belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB'S TAIL
Reveal all four words
- BLINK
- FLASH
- HEARTBEAT
- TRICE
A little help. Your own aha.
Connections #1180
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.
#1180
Which group has you stuck?
Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.
1/4
Green group
A little trickier
Gentle hint
Think of a paint chart around the warmer end of the spectrum.
Show one word
CARMINE belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
SHADES OF RED
Reveal all four words
- CARMINE
- CINNABAR
- MAROON
- VERMILLION
Blue group
More challenging
Gentle hint
Real vehicles, shrunk down for the playroom.
Show one word
HOT WHEELS belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
TOY CAR BRANDS
Reveal all four words
- HOT WHEELS
- MATCHBOX
- MICRO MACHINES
- TONKA
Purple group
Wordplay & surprises
Gentle hint
A formula in a table of figures might start with one of these.
Show one word
AVERAGE belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
SPREADSHEET FUNCTIONS
Reveal all four words
- AVERAGE
- COUNT
- MAX
- SUM
These are spreadsheet functions for a mean, a tally, a largest value and a total.
Ready for the full solution?
All four categories and their words, together.
Reveal all four answers
Yellow
TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB'S TAIL
BLINK · FLASH · HEARTBEAT · TRICE
Green
SHADES OF RED
CARMINE · CINNABAR · MAROON · VERMILLION
Blue
TOY CAR BRANDS
HOT WHEELS · MATCHBOX · MICRO MACHINES · TONKA
Purple
SPREADSHEET FUNCTIONS
AVERAGE · COUNT · MAX · SUM
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.