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NYT Connections puzzle #673 was released on Monday, April 14, 2025. Its 16-word grid hides four groups: words meaning restrict, ticketed events, terms associated with The Oregon Trail, and words connected to “Ford.” Use the hints below before revealing the full solution.
Hints for Connections #673
Connections asks you to divide 16 words into four groups of four. You can submit a group of four words at a time and have up to four mistakes, so start with the most direct category and save uncertain words for later.
Hint 1: Restrict
Look for words that mean to limit, stop or impede progress.
Hint 2: Ticketed events
These are activities or events that require admission.
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Hint 3: Associated with The Oregon Trail
Think about the classic computer game’s pioneer-life setting, including travel, hunting and hazards.
Hint 4: What “Ford” might refer to
Find four words associated with the same common four-letter name. One of the words is also tempting in another category.
Spoiler break
Stop here if you still want to solve the grid yourself. The complete word bank and answers are below.
Connections #673 word bank
HUNT, CHECK, GAME, FORD, PRESIDENT, PLAY, CAR, STOP, OXEN, BLOCK, MOVIE, ACTOR, DAM, DYSENTERY, DIRECTOR, CONCERT.
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Answers for Monday, April 14
RESTRICT
BLOCK, CHECK, DAM, STOP
Each can describe limiting movement or preventing progress: a block, check, dam or stop.
TICKETED EVENTS
CONCERT, GAME, MOVIE, PLAY
These are events or activities people commonly attend with an admission ticket.
ASSOCIATED WITH THE OREGON TRAIL
DYSENTERY, FORD, HUNT, OXEN
These connect to the game’s frontier journey: dysentery is a famous danger, oxen pull the wagon, hunting supplies food, and a ford is a shallow river crossing.
WHAT “FORD” MIGHT REFER TO
ACTOR, CAR, DIRECTOR, PRESIDENT
These can all follow or describe “Ford”: an actor such as Harrison Ford, a Ford car, a Ford director, or a Ford president. The intended shared name is Ford.
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The puzzle’s main trap
FORD is deliberately cross-connected. It fits the Oregon Trail group as a river crossing, but it also points toward the final category alongside ACTOR, CAR, DIRECTOR and PRESIDENT. Recognizing that overlap is the key to separating the two groups.
How the Connections format works
- Select four words that belong together.
- Submit the group and review whether it is correct.
- Continue until all four groups are solved, keeping the four-mistake limit in mind.
The first category is generally the most approachable, while the final category tends to rely on a more indirect association. For this grid, identifying the restriction words first helps remove BLOCK, CHECK, DAM and STOP before tackling the event, Oregon Trail and Ford groups.
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