Spoilers: Connections puzzle #352, released May 28, 2024, groups the words into things that are amenable, anagrams, Spelling Bee ranks, and adjectives for a candle. If you want to solve it yourself first, use the hints below before opening the full answer.
Hints for Connections #352
- Look for four words that can describe someone or something as agreeable or willing.
- Four words use the same letters in different orders.
- One group contains ranks from another New York Times word game.
- The last group consists of words that can describe a candle.
A spoiler-aware way to approach the word bank
The sixteen words are WAXY, SOLID, EVIL, GENIUS, VILE, FLEXIBLE, LIT, WICKED, EASY, BEGINNER, OPEN, LIVE, AMAZING, SCENTED, VEIL, and RECEPTIVE. Before committing to a category, mark possible pairs or triples and look for a fourth word that completes the pattern.
For this puzzle, EASY, FLEXIBLE, OPEN, and RECEPTIVE overlap in the broad sense of being amenable. EVIL, LIVE, VEIL, and VILE are made from the same four letters. Treat those as candidate groups, then check whether the remaining words fit the Spelling Bee ranks and candle-description themes. This is one useful solving route, not a claim about the order the puzzle was intended to be solved.
Full answer for May 28, 2024, puzzle #352
Stop here if you do not want the category names and complete groups spoiled.
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| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Amenable | EASY, FLEXIBLE, OPEN, RECEPTIVE |
| Anagrams | EVIL, LIVE, VEIL, VILE |
| Spelling Bee ranks | AMAZING, BEGINNER, GENIUS, SOLID |
| Adjectives for a candle | LIT, SCENTED, WAXY, WICKED |
Why the categories can be tricky
The New York Times Help Center explains that Connections has sixteen words to sort into four groups of four, each assigned a color from yellow, the easiest, to purple, the trickiest. It notes that the game is designed around plausible overlaps: “Each puzzle has exactly one solution and is meant to be tricky by having words that could fit into multiple categories.” That helps explain the pull of broad readings such as EASY or OPEN before the full set of four makes a category clear. NYT Connections Help Center
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where and when to play Connections
The daily puzzle is released at midnight in the player’s timezone. The New York Times lists the Games app, the Connections website, NYTimes.com/theathletic, and the News app as places to play; it describes Connections as free to play without registration. These service details were checked October 8, 2026. NYT Connections Help Center
The Help Center says the archive goes back to June 12, 2023 and is available to All Access and Games subscribers. It does not specifically confirm whether puzzle #352 can currently be replayed from that archive.
Quick Recap
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