These hints and answers are for NYT Connections #523, the puzzle published Friday, November 15, 2024. If you want to solve it yourself first, start with the spoiler-free clues below; the category names and word groups follow in separate sections.
Hints for Connections #523
Try grouping the 16 words around these ideas before opening the answers:
- A kind of break or opening.
- Parts or forms of written language.
- Make a sound by forcefully sending breath through these.
- Complete the phrase “___ of time.”
Category answers
- Yellow: FISSURE
- Green: ELEMENTS OF WRITING
- Blue: INSTRUMENTS YOU BLOW INTO
- Purple: ___ OF TIME
Full word groups
Yellow — FISSURE
CRACK, HOLE, LEAK, PUNCTURE
Green — ELEMENTS OF WRITING
LETTER, PHRASE, SENTENCE, WORD
Blue — INSTRUMENTS YOU BLOW INTO
JUG, PIPE, RECORDER, WHISTLE
Purple — ___ OF TIME
NICK, PASSAGE, SANDS, WASTE
Tips for solving this puzzle
For the yellow group, look for words that can each describe a fissure or opening. The green group collects units or forms of written language. For blue, focus on the shared way the instruments are played: by blowing into them. The purple words each complete the same phrase when followed by “of time.”
Connections presents 16 words and asks players to sort them into four groups of four. Its groupings can be ambiguous when a word seems to fit more than one idea, so test a suspected set against all four words before submitting it. The cited puzzle coverage describes yellow as usually easiest, blue and green as intermediate, and purple as usually most difficult; that is a general cue, not a promise about every puzzle or solver. For a dated explanation of the puzzle format and play routes, see TechRadar’s November 15, 2024 guide. The answers and category labels above are also confirmed in Forbes’ #523 guide.
Quick Recap
Rank #2
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