NYT Connections puzzle #202 was the game published on December 30, 2023—not the different puzzle from December 30, 2024. Below are the 16 words, four spoiler-safe hints in order, and the complete answer key. Stop before the final section if you want to solve it yourself.
The 16 words in Connections #202
Try grouping these terms before reading the hints:
- ZEBRA
- DESERT
- BEAR
- TRAIN
- SAND
- SPEED
- DOVE
- STRING
- ORCA
- TOURIST
- PANDA
- SKUNK
- BASS
- WIND
- SERIES
- CHAIN
Spoiler-safe hints
Connections asks players to sort 16 terms into four groups of four. These nudges move from broad to more revealing; pause here if you do not want the answers.
- Yellow: Monochrome wild encounters
- Green: Order the patterns!
- Blue: Same spelling, different meaning.
- Purple: Escape the snare!
Connections #202 answers
Spoilers below: the categories and their four words are revealed here.
| Category | Words | How the group works |
|---|---|---|
| Black-and-white animals | ORCA, PANDA, SKUNK, ZEBRA | Each is an animal commonly associated with black-and-white coloring. |
| Sequence | CHAIN, SERIES, STRING, TRAIN | Each word can describe a sequence or linked succession. |
| Heteronyms | BASS, DOVE, DESERT, WIND | Each spelling has different meanings with different pronunciations depending on usage. |
| ___ trap | BEAR, SAND, SPEED, TOURIST | Each completes a common phrase ending in “trap”: bear trap, sand trap, speed trap, and tourist trap. |
Why the date needs a year
The number in this article refers specifically to the December 30, 2023 board. A date-only search can be ambiguous: December 30, 2024 was a different Connections game, so match the year as well as the day when looking for an archived answer.
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