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This archive guide covers NYT Connections puzzle #540, released Monday, December 2, 2024. Read the spoiler-light clues first, then open the answer key when you’re ready to see the four categories and their words.
Hints for Connections #540
Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four, each linked by a shared idea. The color sequence runs from yellow, the easiest group, to purple, the most difficult; green and blue fall between them. TechRadar and Forbes describe these mechanics and color guidance.
- Yellow: Think of ways to make something known.
- Green: These activities or objects involve a particular striking tool.
- Blue: Consider recognizable designs associated with a collared shirt.
- Purple: Add the same word after each entry to make a familiar phrase.
To preserve the challenge, look for pairs or triples that seem related, then test what could complete the set. A word may plausibly fit more than one idea, so check the whole group before submitting. Forbes notes that the game gives “one away” feedback when a guess has three members of a correct group, and that four incorrect guesses end the game. Its account also describes the daily reset and archive access for eligible NYT All Access or Games subscribers; access terms may change.
Full answers for December 2, 2024
Spoilers below: the category labels and all 16 answers are revealed here.
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| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | ANNOUNCE | BROADCAST, DECLARE, HERALD, TRUMPET |
| Green | THINGS INVOLVING MALLETS | CARPENTRY, CROQUET, WHAC-A-MOLE, XYLOPHONE |
| Blue | ICON EMBROIDERED ON A POLO SHIRT | CROCODILE, LAUREL, POLO PLAYER, SWOOSH |
| Purple | ___ CLIP | ALLIGATOR, HAIR, PAPER, VIDEO |
Yellow — ANNOUNCE
BROADCAST, DECLARE, HERALD, and TRUMPET are verbs for announcing or publicizing something.
Green — THINGS INVOLVING MALLETS
CARPENTRY, CROQUET, WHAC-A-MOLE, and XYLOPHONE each involve a mallet: as a tool, a game implement, or the striking implement used to play the instrument.
Rank #2
Blue — ICON EMBROIDERED ON A POLO SHIRT
CROCODILE, LAUREL, POLO PLAYER, and SWOOSH are familiar kinds of icons associated with polo shirts.
Purple — ___ CLIP
ALLIGATOR, HAIR, PAPER, and VIDEO each precede “clip” to form a familiar term.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe exact labels and word mappings are reported by TechRadar and Try Hard Guides.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the benchmark research says about Connections
A 2024 benchmark paper by Angel Yahir Loredo Lopez, Tyler McDonald, and Ali Emami describes Connections as a text-classification task and reports a gap between top language-model performance and human performance. In the paper’s Full Hints setup, Claude 3.5 scored 40.25%, compared with 60.67% for human evaluators. Those are results from the study’s defined benchmark and method—not a measure of all players or of puzzle #540 specifically. Read the paper on arXiv.
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