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This is the answer guide for NYT Connections #426 from Saturday, August 10, 2024. It is an archive puzzle, not the live Connections game for 2026. Start with the light clues below and stop before the spoiler section if you are still solving.
Connections #426 words
The 16 words in this puzzle were:
STRAWBERRY, MILK, OFFICE, RUN, BLONDE, ROSE, WORK, TEAMS, JOBS, FUNCTION, EDGE, MARS, WINDOWS, VICE, DEVIL, OPERATE
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Connections divides these into four groups of four. You can make up to four incorrect guesses before the game reveals the answers.
Hints for NYT Connections #426
Need a small hint? These clues describe the groups without giving away the exact category names:
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- Yellow: Things commonly associated with one color.
- Green: Words meaning that something is functioning.
- Blue: Products made by the same major technology company.
- Purple: Film titles about real people.
Stronger hints
- Yellow: Think of a planet, a flower, a fruit and a supernatural character.
- Green: These can all describe a machine, system or process that is working.
- Blue: These are familiar names from Microsoft’s software ecosystem.
- Purple: Each word is associated with a film portraying a notable person’s life.
Spoiler warning: the Connections #426 answers
The complete answer key is below.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟨 Yellow | Things that are red | DEVIL, MARS, ROSE, STRAWBERRY |
| 🟩 Green | Be in commission | FUNCTION, OPERATE, RUN, WORK |
| 🟦 Blue | Microsoft products | EDGE, OFFICE, TEAMS, WINDOWS |
| 🟪 Purple | Biopics | BLONDE, JOBS, MILK, VICE |
These groupings are corroborated by Yahoo’s puzzle guide, the GamesRadar-syndicated guide and Try Hard Guides.
Why each group fits
🟨 Things that are red: DEVIL, MARS, ROSE, STRAWBERRY
The devil is commonly depicted as red, Mars is known as the Red Planet, red roses are a familiar flower variety, and strawberries are commonly associated with a red fruit. These are broad visual and cultural associations, not claims that every devil, rose or strawberry is necessarily red.
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🟩 Be in commission: FUNCTION, OPERATE, RUN, WORK
All four words can describe something that is operating or in working order. A device can function, operate, run or work.
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🟦 Microsoft products: EDGE, OFFICE, TEAMS, WINDOWS
Each word becomes a Microsoft product when its full name is recognized: Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Windows. The everyday meanings of office and windows make this group especially easy to overlook. Edge can also mean a border or advantage.
🟪 Biopics: BLONDE, JOBS, MILK, VICE
Here, “biopics” is shorthand for titles of biographical films:
- Blonde — the 2022 film about Marilyn Monroe.
- Jobs — the 2013 film about Steve Jobs.
- Milk — the 2008 film about Harvey Milk.
- Vice — the 2018 film about Dick Cheney.
This is the most knowledge-dependent group because the words are film titles rather than the names of the people portrayed.
The trickiest overlaps
JOBS, WORK and OFFICE all suggest employment, but only WORK belongs with the words meaning “function.” JOBS is a film title, while OFFICE belongs with Microsoft’s products.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallRUN, OPERATE and WORK strongly suggest a synonym group, with FUNCTION completing it. Avoid pulling in jobs or office just because they relate to work.
MILK and BLONDE look like ordinary nouns or descriptions until you recognize them as movie titles. Similarly, VICE can mean immoral behavior or a clamping tool, and WINDOWS can mean openings in a building—but both are Microsoft or film-category answers here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Suggested solving order
- Start with EDGE, OFFICE, TEAMS and WINDOWS, the recognizable Microsoft group.
- Next, collect FUNCTION, OPERATE, RUN and WORK as words meaning “be in commission.”
- Group DEVIL, MARS, ROSE and STRAWBERRY through their common red associations.
- The four remaining words—BLONDE, JOBS, MILK and VICE—form the biopics group.
This is a practical route through the grid, not an official NYT solving strategy.
How difficult was game #426?
One secondary guide attributed an informal difficulty rating of 3.4 out of 5 to Connections Companion. That is a third-party rating, not an official New York Times difficulty score.
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Although many puzzle pages use “today” in their headlines, this guide covers the historical puzzle published on August 10, 2024, game #426. The answer key is reported consistently by multiple secondary puzzle guides; this article does not present it as a direct NYT archive verification.
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