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This is the archived answer guide for NYT Connections puzzle #403, from Thursday, July 18, 2024—not the current daily puzzle. Try the four spoiler-safe hints below before opening the category labels and answers.
Spoiler-safe hints for Connections #403
TechRadar’s clues, in the puzzle’s color order, give progressively clearer nudges without revealing the word sets:
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- Yellow: These aren’t enclosed areas.
- Green: Related to a sport.
- Blue: Showy.
- Purple: Picture words.
TechRadar’s July 18, 2024 guide provides these hints and the full solution.
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Answers and category labels
Open a group below only if you’re ready to see its category and four answers.
#1 Best Overall
Yellow — OPEN SPACE
COURT, PLAZA, SQUARE, YARD
Green — BOXING UNIT
BOUT, CONTEST, MATCH, ROUND
Blue — GLITZINESS
DAZZLE, FLASH, POMP, RITZ
Purple — EMOJI
FIRE, HEART, SKULL, SPARKLES
Fortnite Insider’s answer guide independently lists the same four categories and word sets.
What made the groups tricky?
The public-space words offer a relatively direct starting point. BOXING UNIT collects terms for parts or forms of a boxing match, while GLITZINESS groups words associated with showiness. The emoji set is less obvious because FIRE, HEART, SKULL and SPARKLES are also ordinary words with other associations.
Rank #2
Some people discussing the puzzle on its date questioned how broad the EMOJI label felt and mentioned alternative emoji associations for words such as SQUARE and FLASH. Those are individual reactions, not evidence that every solver found the category ambiguous. The puzzle-day discussion shows some of that response.
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The full 16-word board
HEART, FLASH, MATCH, SQUARE, ROUND, PLAZA, RITZ, FIRE, SPARKLES, DAZZLE, COURT, CONTEST, YARD, SKULL, BOUT, POMP.
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