Spoiler warning: This guide starts with gentle hints, then reveals the category names and the complete answers for NYT Connections puzzle #522, published Thursday, November 14, 2024. Stop before the section you want to keep hidden.
Hints for Connections #522
Try each clue before moving to the next. The colors follow the puzzle’s difficulty order, from yellow (easiest) to purple (trickiest).
- Yellow: Use up.
- Green: “I’m really feeling this, man.”
- Blue: Service not included.
- Purple: The sweetest thing.
Category names
Ready to reveal the group labels? The full word assignments follow in the next section.
- Yellow: DEPLETE
- Green: PLAY MUSIC WITH PASSION
- Blue: WORDS ON A RESTAURANT RECEIPT
- Purple: FORMS OF SUGAR
Full answers for November 14
These are the 16 words on the board, arranged into the four intended groups:
#1 Best Overall
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | DEPLETE | DRAIN, EMPTY, EXHAUST, SAP |
| Green | PLAY MUSIC WITH PASSION | GROOVE, JAM, ROCK, SHRED |
| Blue | WORDS ON A RESTAURANT RECEIPT | SIGNATURE, TAX, TIP, TOTAL |
| Purple | FORMS OF SUGAR | CUBE, GRAIN, POWDER, SYRUP |
Tips for approaching overlapping words
Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four. A word can appear to fit more than one category, so consider its alternate meanings and familiar phrases before locking in a set. For this board, the published color order offers a sensible progression: look for the more direct “use up” group first, then consider music, receipt terminology, and the more oblique sugar forms.
What puzzle #522 refers to
November 14 here means Thursday, November 14, 2024, not a puzzle from another year. Forbes identified the puzzle as #522, and TechRadar and Parade published matching category labels and word assignments for that date.
Rank #2
How to play and revisit older puzzles
The New York Times’ Connections help page describes the game as grouping 16 words into four sets. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone and is available on the web and supported apps.
The NYT’s Connections archive is the official route to older puzzles. The archive reaches back to June 12, 2023, and access is for All Access and Games subscribers according to the help page. Playing an archived puzzle can affect some statistics, but not current or maximum streaks. Check the NYT help page for the latest access terms.
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