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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 & 11This is the archived Friday, February 7, 2025 edition of NYT Connections, puzzle #607. Below, the 16-word grid comes first, followed by progressively stronger hints and then the complete solution. Stop before the spoiler warning if you are still solving.
The 16 words in Connections #607
Here is the complete word bank:
- BALLOON
- BLUE
- BULL
- CROSS
- DIRECT
- EARRING
- ERASER
- GALOSH
- HEAD
- HERRING
- LAMP
- LEAD
- RUN
- TIRE
- VELVET
- WISHES
Hints for the four groups
Try these in order, moving to the next level only when you need more help.
Yellow-group hint
Think about what a boss, manager or supervisor does.
Green-group hint
These objects can all be made from the same stretchy material.
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Blue-group hint
Think of a magical character from a classic animated film.
Purple-group hint
Each word can follow the same three-letter color.
Tips for solving #607
Separate grammatical roles from themes
DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD and RUN can all function as verbs connected with being in charge. Do not discard a word merely because it also looks like a noun or appears in another familiar phrase.
Watch for the strongest literal material link
BALLOON, ERASER, GALOSH and TIRE share a concrete material relationship. When four objects fit one physical-property idea cleanly, test that set before chasing looser associations.
Treat story references as a group, not isolated clues
BLUE, EARRING, LAMP and WISHES point toward the Genie in Aladdin. “Blue” and “lamp” can lead to unrelated ideas, so check whether the suspected set reaches four before committing.
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Use familiar phrases to identify the final set
If four remaining words can each complete the same expression, that phrase pattern is usually the intended connection. This is especially useful when the words have several unrelated meanings.
Do not lock in a pair too early
Connections asks players to divide 16 terms into four sets of four. A tempting two- or three-word association is not enough if it prevents four complete groups; keep testing alternatives until every word is accounted for.
Spoiler warning: answers below
The complete categories and memberships for puzzle #607 are revealed next.
Answers for NYT Connections #607
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Be in charge of | DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD, RUN |
| Green | Things made of rubber | BALLOON, ERASER, GALOSH, TIRE |
| Blue | Associated with the Genie in Aladdin | BLUE, EARRING, LAMP, WISHES |
| Purple | RED ___ | BULL, CROSS, HERRING, VELVET |
Why the grid was deceptive
The puzzle mixes words that support multiple readings. HEAD, LEAD and DIRECT can suggest leadership, while BLUE and LAMP fit the Genie set only when the Aladdin reference is recognized. The purple group relies on completing familiar “red” expressions: red bull, Red Cross, red herring and red velvet. Those overlapping meanings make partial matches unreliable until the full four-word structure appears.
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How Connections scoring and hints work
The daily format presents 16 terms and asks you to sort them into four related groups of four. A 2024 study of a 100-puzzle sample illustrates why staged clues help: in that experiment, Claude 3.5 solved 11% of puzzles in a one-try condition versus 39.33% for human participants; with full hints, the figures were 40.25% and 60.67%, respectively. Those are results from that study’s selected sample and setup, not official NYT statistics or a difficulty rating for #607.
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