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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteNYT Connections puzzle #501, published for Thursday, October 24, 2024, groups its 16 words into four sets: LINEUP, NYT OFFERINGS, things made by folding paper, and French words. Use the hints below in order, stopping before the spoiler section if you still want to solve it yourself.
How Connections #501 works
The board contains 16 words. Select four that share a connection, then submit them as a group. The four categories are color-coded, with yellow generally easiest and purple generally most difficult. You can shuffle the board if the layout is obscuring a link, but four incorrect submissions end the game.
Progressive hints for October 24
These clues become more direct as you move down the list.
Yellow hint
Find out what is coming up here.
Green hint
These are things that come with an All Access subscription, other than the Connections archive.
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Blue hint
Think of options you might make with origami paper.
Purple hint
The clue is “La langue de l’amour” (“the language of love”).
Connections #501 answers
Warning: the complete solution is below.
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| LINEUP | BILL, PROGRAM, SCHEDULE, SLATE |
| NYT OFFERINGS | AUDIO, COOKING, GAMES, NEWS |
| Things made by folding paper | AIRPLANE, CRANE, FAN, FORTUNE TELLER |
| French words | ADIEU, BELLE, PAIN, TEMPS |
Why the trickiest words fit
LINEUP
A bill, program, schedule or slate can describe the planned lineup of events, performers or items. SCHEDULE belongs here, not with the French-looking words.
NYT OFFERINGS
Audio, Cooking, Games and News are New York Times offerings. This category is distinct from the puzzle’s own Connections archive.
Things made by folding paper
An airplane, crane, fan and fortune teller are familiar paper-folding projects. The category is literal rather than a shared word meaning.
French words
Adieu means goodbye, belle means beautiful or a beautiful woman, pain means bread, and temps can mean time or weather depending on context. In this grid, PAIN is the French word; it is not part of a food or discomfort category.
A practical way to solve this grid
- Scan for obvious pairs and triples. ADIEU strongly suggests French, while AIRPLANE, CRANE and FAN suggest folded-paper objects.
- Look for the fourth member. FORTUNE TELLER completes the paper-folding set; BELLE, PAIN and TEMPS complete the French set.
- Recheck leftovers before submitting. The remaining words separate into the LINEUP and NYT OFFERINGS groups. This prevents a tempting but incomplete association from costing a mistake.
- Shuffle when the board gets noisy. A new arrangement can make the remaining connection easier to see.
Replay and archive note
The October 24, 2024 edition is the historical daily puzzle for #501. Forbes reported that NYT All Access or Games subscribers could use the Connections archive at the time; subscription access and terms can change, so check the New York Times before relying on that detail.
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