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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →NYT Connections puzzle #342 is the game for Saturday, May 18, 2024. Start with the spoiler-safe clues below; the category names and all 16 answers follow the warning.
Hints for Connections #342
Use these clues in order, stopping whenever you have enough to keep solving:
- Creatures.
- A quick bend or hook.
- Fun activities with a group.
- They all share a common component.
Spoiler warning: The categories and complete answer set are next.
Connections answers for May 18
Parade’s May 18, 2024 answer guide identifies this puzzle as #342 and gives these four groups:
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#1 Best Overall
- Yellow — Animals whose names are two animals: BULLDOG, CATFISH, HORSEFLY, TURTLEDOVE.
- Green — Sharp turns: DOGLEG, HAIRPIN, SWITCHBACK, ZAG.
- Blue — Classic party games: CATEGORIES, CHARADES, FISHBOWL, WEREWOLF.
- Purple — Things with springs: CLOCK, MATTRESS, MOUSETRAP, TRAMPOLINE.
How the groups fit together
Yellow: animal names inside animal names
Each compound word can be split into two animal names: bull and dog, cat and fish, horse and fly, or turtle and dove.
Green: sharp turns
DOGLEG, HAIRPIN, SWITCHBACK, and ZAG each describe a sharp change in direction.
Rank #2
Blue: classic party games
CATEGORIES, CHARADES, FISHBOWL, and WEREWOLF are the party-game set.
Purple: things with springs
A CLOCK, MATTRESS, MOUSETRAP, and TRAMPOLINE can each have a spring or spring mechanism.
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How Connections works
The New York Times describes Connections as a daily word game in which players sort 16 words into four groups of four based on shared themes. Groups are marked yellow, green, blue, and purple, from easiest to trickiest. Words can appear to fit more than one theme, but each puzzle has one solution; editors curate the categories and words using the Oxford Dictionary. Read the NYT Help Center’s Connections guide for official rules and play details.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play or find the archive
The Help Center says Connections is available in the Games app, at nytimes.com/games/connections, on nytimes.com/theathletic, and in the News app. A new daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone.
The archive reaches back to June 12, 2023, so it includes this 2024 puzzle. Archive access is for All Access and Games subscribers. A NYT account is required to save archive progress and play history, and a completed archived puzzle cannot be replayed.
Quick Recap
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