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The New York Times Connections puzzle for Monday, October 28, 2024, is game #505. The board’s four themes are audio apps, words meaning “indicate,” verbs from Church of England wedding vows, and “magic words.” Use the graduated clues below before opening the spoiler section.
Progressive hints for Connections #505
- Hint 1: One group consists of familiar audio apps or services.
- Hint 2: One group contains verbs that can mean to indicate or point something out.
- Hint 3: One group uses verbs appearing in Church of England wedding vows.
- Hint 4: The final group combines classic magic utterances with polite expressions often called “magic words.”
TechRadar’s shorter clue versions were “Not Spotify,” “Point towards,” “I do,” and “Could conjure up a good response.” These are clue phrases, not the official category labels.
The 16 words in the October 28 board
- SPELL
- LOVE
- PLEASE
- HOLD
- PRESTO
- MEAN
- THANK YOU
- SHAZAM
- AUDIBLE
- ABRACADABRA
- SIGNIFY
- TIDAL
- SUGGEST
- HAVE
- PANDORA
- CHERISH
Spoiler: Connections #505 answers
Stop here if you are still solving. The complete solution is below.
| Category | Words | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|
| AUDIO APPS | AUDIBLE, PANDORA, SHAZAM, TIDAL | Each is an audio app or audio service. |
| INDICATE | MEAN, SIGNIFY, SPELL, SUGGEST | Each can express, signal or point toward a meaning. |
| CHURCH OF ENGLAND WEDDING VOW VERBS | CHERISH, HAVE, HOLD, LOVE | These verbs appear in the wording of that specific wedding-vow tradition. |
| MAGIC WORDS | ABRACADABRA, PLEASE, PRESTO, THANK YOU | ABRACADABRA and PRESTO evoke magic; PLEASE and THANK YOU are the polite “magic words” taught in etiquette. |
Why the categories can be confusing
“Spell” belongs with “indicate”
Spell can mean to express or signify something, so it joins MEAN, SIGNIFY and SUGGEST. Its association with magic makes it a tempting but incorrect choice for MAGIC WORDS.
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“Magic words” has two meanings
The category is deliberately mixed. ABRACADABRA and PRESTO are theatrical incantations, while PLEASE and THANK YOU are conventional polite expressions. Reading “magic” only in the supernatural sense can hide the intended group.
The wedding category is deliberately specific
CHERISH, HAVE, HOLD and LOVE are identified by the Church of England wedding-vow wording. The label should not be generalized to every wedding ceremony or every version of wedding vows.
How Connections works
Connections is a daily word puzzle in which you divide 16 words into four groups of four sharing a theme. Associations may rely on ordinary definitions, word senses, or more lateral connections. Two answer guides describe an allowance of four mistakes, so test a suspected group carefully before submitting it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Difficulty note
TechRadar writer Marc McLaren described this puzzle as “Moderate” and reported solving it with one hint. That is an individual assessment and experience, not an official NYT difficulty rating or a measured statistic.
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