NYT Connections puzzle #243, from Friday, February 9, 2024, groups 16 words into four sets: music-player buttons, broadcast terms, things you can draw, and anagrams of number words. Read the spoiler-safe hints first, or skip to the full answer key below.
Spoiler-free hints for February 9
These nudges point toward each group without giving away its category name. The color order runs from the easiest group to the trickiest.
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- Yellow: Control your tunes!
- Green: Live streams await!
- Blue: Creativity on paper!
- Purple: Rearranged digits puzzle.
Full Connections #243 answer key
Spoilers below. The 16 words on the board were AIR, BATH, CARD, CURTAIN, EON, ETHER, NET, PICTURE, REWIND, RUN, SCREEN, SHOW, SHUFFLE, SKIP, STOP, and TOW.
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| Color | Category | Words | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | MUSIC PLAYER BUTTONS | REWIND, SHUFFLE, SKIP, STOP | Controls used to navigate or play music. |
| Green | BROADCAST | AIR, RUN, SCREEN, SHOW | Terms associated with broadcasting. |
| Blue | THINGS YOU CAN DRAW | BATH, CARD, CURTAIN, PICTURE | Each can follow the verb “draw.” |
| Purple | NUMBER ANAGRAMS | EON, ETHER, NET, TOW | Rearrange the letters to form ONE, THREE, TEN, and TWO. |
Why the purple group is a wordplay clue
The purple set is based on spelling rather than a shared everyday use: EON rearranges to ONE, ETHER to THREE, NET to TEN, and TOW to TWO. The connection becomes visible when the remaining words are tested as anagrams of number words.
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What the colors and puzzle format mean
Connections presents 16 words to sort into four groups of four that share a connection. Each group has a color, with yellow marking the easiest category and purple the trickiest. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone, according to the NYT Help Center.
This board illustrates two useful ways to look for a set: first consider a clear function, such as music-player controls; then examine whether the remaining words share a phrase pattern or spelling feature. In this case, anagramming the last four words reveals the number connection.
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Where to play Connections and access its archive
The NYT Help Center lists the NYT Games app, nytimes.com/games/connections, nytimes.com/theathletic, and the News app as access points. It says Connections can be played without registering or signing in, while access to the full puzzle archive—which reaches back to June 12, 2023—is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Availability and access terms can change, so check the official help page for current details.
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