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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11NYT Connections #423 was published on August 7, 2024. The groups are CRAM, RESTAURANT JOBS, ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM and THINGS WITH BITS. Hints appear first below; the complete grid and answers follow, so stop before the spoiler sections if you are still solving.
Hints for Connections #423
These clues are arranged in the game’s usual color order, from yellow (most straightforward) to purple (most demanding).
- Yellow: Squash in.
- Green: As in The Bear.
- Blue: Radiations.
- Purple: Each answer has something that can mean “a small quantity.”
The green clue points to jobs at an eatery, while the purple clue relies on several meanings of “bits.”
The 16-word grid
The puzzle presented these words:
| X-RAY | BYTE | RADIO | DRILL |
| DISHWASHER | RAM | MICROWAVE | SERVER |
| COMEDIAN | COOK | STUFF | HOST |
| PACK | VISIBLE | BRIDLE | JAM |
Answers and how each group works
Yellow: CRAM
JAM, PACK, RAM, STUFF
All four can describe forcing a large amount into a restricted space. You can jam, pack or stuff something in; “ram” also means push it in forcefully. The words are verbs here, not references to fruit spread, a computer component or filling material.
#1 Best Overall
Green: RESTAURANT JOBS
COOK, DISHWASHER, HOST, SERVER
These are familiar roles in a restaurant or other eatery. The Bear is a directional clue toward kitchen and front-of-house work rather than a reference to an individual character.
Blue: ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
MICROWAVE, RADIO, VISIBLE, X-RAY
Each word names a region or form of electromagnetic radiation: microwaves and radio waves occupy different bands, visible light is the part humans see, and X-rays are higher-energy radiation used in imaging.
Rank #2
Purple: THINGS WITH BITS
BRIDLE, BYTE, COMEDIAN, DRILL
This is the wordplay group. A horse’s bridle includes a bit; a byte is made of binary bits; a comedian performs bits; and a drill uses a bit as its cutting or driving attachment. “Bits” therefore shifts between an equestrian part, a computing unit, a short comedy routine and a tool accessory.
Why the puzzle can mislead you
RAM looks like a computing word
RAM naturally tempts a connection with BYTE, but BYTE belongs in the purple group and RAM belongs with the words meaning cram. Treat each word as a possible part of speech and meaning, not just its most familiar technical association.
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MICROWAVE resembles restaurant equipment
A microwave can appear in a kitchen, which may make it seem related to restaurant jobs. In this grid its decisive connection is electromagnetic radiation, alongside RADIO, VISIBLE and X-RAY.
BRIDLE is easy to overlook
The horse tack sense of “bit” is less immediate than the computing, comedy or drilling senses. Once BRIDLE is recognized, the four-way purple connection becomes much clearer.
A practical way to solve this grid
- Scan for a direct verb group. JAM, PACK and STUFF all suggest filling tightly. RAM completes the CRAM set.
- Separate occupations from objects. COOK, DISHWASHER, HOST and SERVER describe people or roles in an eatery, even though “dishwasher” can also name an appliance.
- Test scientific vocabulary together. MICROWAVE, RADIO, VISIBLE and X-RAY form a coherent radiation set.
- Use the remaining words literally and figuratively. BRIDLE, BYTE, COMEDIAN and DRILL all pair with “bits,” producing the purple group.
The NYT game gives players up to four mistakes, so avoid submitting a guess until a category accounts for exactly four words and leaves a clean set of twelve.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Connections works
Connections displays 16 words in a grid. The objective is to arrange them into four groups of four by identifying the link shared by each group. It is available free through the NYT Games site on desktop and mobile, with four incorrect guesses allowed for a puzzle.
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