Today’s Connections Answer: March 24 hints

Trying to find the connections in a game of Connections might be tricky depending on how much the categories of a certain day differ from our vocabulary. If you need a nod in the right direction to figure out the answers, you have come to the right place.

The New York Times launched Connections in mid-2023, and the game has quickly gained popularity as a daily activity. Each day, the game presents sixteen different words in a 4×4 grid. Your goal is to find the eponymous connections between them. They are split into four categories, but you don’t know which categories these are when you start playing; you must look at all the words and try to deduce yourself.

To guess, simply select the four words you think are grouped together and click the Submit button. Doing so, you get feedback from the game on whether it was a correct guess or it cost you a “life.” You have a maximum of three mistakes to make each day, and making a fourth mistake means you lose.

With a correct guess, the selected words are removed from the “pool” and grouped together to reveal the name of their category. The four categories are color-coded in yellow, green, blue, and purple, where yellow is traditionally the most straightforward and purple is the trickiest.

Keep reading to find a few hints, the categories, and the answers for today’s Connections. Each of them is split in a different section, so as to not spoil the answers unintentionally.

Hints for today’s Connections (March 24)

A few hints for today’s categories of Connections (#652) are:

• 🟨 Yellow group: not particularly good, as far as scents go
• 🟩 Green group: reports little to no change or variation
• 🟦 Blue group: different audiences for games, split by appropriate age range
• 🟪 Purple group: a single word can be related to all these

We don’t want to make it too simple or obvious at first for those who only need a nod in the right direction. But if those still don’t ring a bell, you might need the actual names of each category.

That is where the next section comes in. Keep reading to learn more.

Today’s Connections categories (March 24)

The categories that connect today’s words in Connections (#652) are:

• 🟨 Yellow group: bad-smelling
• 🟩 Green group: unfluctuating
• 🟦 Blue group: who video games are for, per ESRB rating
• 🟪 Purple group: things with layers

Knowing the categories might give away most or all the answers, but we know that sometimes it can still be tricky to figure out which ones go where.

If you’re still unsure and don’t have any more room for mistakes, check out the actual answers for each category below.

Today’s Connections answers (March 24)

The answers to today’s Connections puzzle (#652) are:

• 🟨 Bad-smelling: FOUL, RANK, RIPE, SOUR
• 🟩 Unfluctuating: CONSTANT, LEVEL, STABLE, UNIFORM
• 🟦 Who video games are for, per ESRB ratings: ADULTS ONLY, EVERYONE, MATURE, TEEN
• 🟪 Things with layers: EARTH, HENHOUSE, ONION, PHOTOSHOP

Past Connections answers

March 23 (#651)

• 🟨 Captivate: ABSORB, ENTRANCE, GRAB, RIVET
• 🟩 Things with wings: AIRPLANE, FAIRY, FLY, HOSPITAL
• 🟦 Words that modify “watch”: POCKET, SMART, STOP, WRIST
• 🟪 Words repeated in “Miss Mary Mack”: BACK, BLACK, BUTTONS, MACK

March 22 (#650)

• 🟨 Musical instruments: TAMBOURINE, THEREMIN, TIMPANI, TROMBONE
• 🟩 Knickknack: TCHOTCHKE, THINGAMAJIG, TRIFLE, TRINKET
• 🟦 Words with the prefix meaning “three”: TRIANGLE, TRIDENT, TRILLION, TRILOBITE
• 🟪 Words abbreviated with “T” + letter: TELEVISION, TOUCHDOWN, TRADEMARK, TUBERCULOSIS

March 21 (#649)

• 🟨 Milieu: CIRCLE, SCENE, SPHERE, WORLD
• 🟩 Luminary: GREAT, ICON, LEGEND, LION
• 🟦 Architectural drawing tools: COMPASS, RULER, STENCIL, T-SQUARE
• 🟪 Bar ___: CHART, EXAM, MITZVAH, SOAP

March 20 (#648)

• 🟨 Outspoken: DIRECT, FRANK, LOUD, VOCAL
• 🟩 Bodies of water: BAY, CHANNEL, SOUND, STRAIT
• 🟦 Kinds of cords: BUNGEE, EXTENSION, SPINAL, UMBILICAL
• 🟪 Things in bottles: GENIE, LIGHTNING, MESSAGE, SHIP

March 19 (#647)

• 🟨 Signify: CONVEY, EXPRESS, MEAN, SPELL
• 🟩 Web browser buttons: BACK, EXTENSIONS, FORWARD, REFRESH
• 🟦 Parts of a road: DIVIDER, LANE, MEDIAN, SHOULDER
• 🟪 À/À la: CARTE, KING, MODE, PLANCHA

March 18 (#646)

• 🟨 Exceptional: REMARKABLE, SINGULAR, SPECIAL, UNIQUE
• 🟩 German words: ANGST, DIE, KINDER, WURST
• 🟦 Plural animals identical to their singular forms: DEER, SHEEP, SHRIMP, SQUID
• 🟪 Plural words that are very different from their singular forms: DICE, LICE, MICE, OXEN

March 17 (#645)

• 🟨 Filament: FIBER, STRAND, STRING, THREAD
• 🟩 Uninhibitedness: ABANDON, FREEDOM, SPONTANEITY, UNRESTRAINT
• 🟦 Kinds of trucks: DUMP, GARBAGE, MONSTER, PICKUP
• 🟪 Bands minus the number five: BEN FOLDS, JACKSON, MAROON, MC

March 16 (#644)

• 🟨 Bunch: CLUSTER, COLLECTION, CONSTELLATION, GROUP
• 🟩 Ending with a silent “T”: BALLET, DEBUT, RAPPORT, TAROT
• 🟦 Serial Killer Movies: MONSTER, PSYCHO, SEVEN, ZODIAC
• 🟪 Starting with constellations: DRACONIAN, HYDRANT, LEONARDO, LIBRARY

March 15 (#643)

• 🟨 Sharp protrusion: BARB, BRISTLE, NEEDLE, SPINE
• 🟩 Features of stringed instruments: BRIDGE, NECK, PEG, STRING
• 🟦 Litigation verbs: CHARGE, MOVE, SERVE, SUS
• 🟪 In “Star Light, Star Bright”: MAY, MIGHT, TONIGHT, WISH

March 14 (#642)

• 🟨 Impose, as a penalty: ASSESS, CHARGE, FINE, LEVY
• 🟩 Checkout line impulse buys: CANDY, CHAPSTICK, CHARGING CABLE, MAGAZINE
• 🟦 Movies of various lengths: EPIC, FEATURE, FILM SERIES, SHORT
• 🟪 ___ road: DIRT, HIGH, ROCKY, SILK

March 13 (#641)

• 🟨 Partiality: ANGLE, BIAS, SLANT, SPIN
• 🟩 Signal down, as a taxi: FLAG, HAIL, WAVE, WHISTLE
• 🟦 Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
• 🟪 Shakespearean Words: ANON, ART, THOU, WILT

March 12 (#640)

• 🟨 Ingredients in classic pound cake: BUTTER, EGGS, FLOUR, SUGAR
• 🟩 Things that are red: CARDINAL, ELMO, KETCHUP, ROSE
• 🟦 Words said to have no exact rhymes: MONTH, ORANGE, PURPLE, SILVER
• 🟪 ___ candy: COTTON, EYE, JOHN, ROCK

March 11 (#639)

• 🟨 Variation from the norm: ALTERNATIVE, BREAK, CHANGE, DEPARTURE
• 🟩 Things that ring: ALARM, BELL, INTERCOM, PHONE
• 🟦 Things traditionally made of leather: FOOTBALL, MOCCASINS, SADDLE, WALLET
• 🟪 Singer-songwriter pianists: KEYS, KING, LEGEND, WONDER

March 10 (#638)

• 🟨 Cat breeds: RAGAMUFFIN, RUSSIAN BLUE, SPHYNX, TURKISH ANGORA
• 🟩 Famous smiles: CHESHIRE CAT, COMEDY MASK, JOKER, MONA LISA
• 🟦 Attractions iconically different from their original forms: LIBERTY BELL, STATUE OF LIBERTY, TOWER OF PISA, VENUS DE MILO
• 🟪 Associated with “The Dude” Lebowski: BATHROBE, BOWLING, RUG, WHITE RUSSIAN

March 9 (#637)

• 🟨 Computer input devices: MICROPHONE, MOUSE, SCANNER, TABLET
• 🟩 Building materials: BRICK, CONCRETE, METAL, STONE
• 🟦 Helpful deed: FAVOR, KINDNESS, SERVICE, SOLID
• 🟪 #1 songs from 1982: ABRACADABRA, CENTERFOLD, MICKEY, PHYSICAL

March 8 (#636)

• 🟨 Faux: ARTIFICIAL, FAKE, IMITATION, MOCK
• 🟩 Washing machine cycles/settings: BULKY, COTTON, DELICATE, SPIN
• 🟦 Words said frequently in the Bill and Ted movies: BOUGS, DUDE, EXCELLENT, TOTALLY
• 🟪 ___box: CHATTER, JUKE, SHADOW, SOAP

March 7 (#635)

• 🟨 Emblem: LABEL, MARK, SEAL, STAMP
• 🟩 Subjects of acclaimed musical biopics: BROWN, CASH, DYLAN, MERCURY
• 🟦 U.S. cities: BUFFALO, HELENA, IRVING, PHOENIX
• 🟪 Fruits with their second letters changed: AMPLE, DOTE, LUMON, POACH

March 6 (#634)

• 🟨 Wane: DWINDLE, FADE, PETER, TAPER
• 🟩 Do some tasks in the garden: PLANT, PRUNE, WATER, WEED
• 🟦 Shoes: FLAT, MARY JANE, MULE, SLIDE
• 🟪 Sand___: CASTLE, PAPER, PIPER, STONE

March 5 (#633)

• 🟨 Periphery: BORDER, EDGE, FRINGE, SKIRT
• 🟩 Things people do to fingernails: BITE, CLIP, FILE, PAINT
• 🟦 What might bring tears to your eyes: ALLERGY, MELODRAMA, ONION, RELIEF
• 🟪 ___ball recreational sports: DODGE, KICK, PICKLE, SOFT

March 4 (#632)

• 🟨 Adjectives for nice skin: DEWY, FRESH, GLOWING, SMOOTH
• 🟩 Mess of hair: MAT, MOP, TANGLE, THATCH
• 🟦 Dickens characters: BUCKET, PIP, SCROOGE, TWIST
• 🟪 ___ chain: DAISY, FOOD, MOUNTAIN, SUPPLY

March 3 (#631)

• 🟨 Be at leisure: CHILL, LOAF, LOUNGE, REST
• 🟩 Formats of gold: BAR, COIN, LEAF, NUGGET
• 🟦 Cylinder of material: BOLT, REEL, ROLL, SCROLL
• 🟪 Seen in The Flintstones: BONE, CLUB, DINOSAUR, RUBBLE

March 2 (#630)

• 🟨 Cellphone modes: AIRPLANE, DO NOT DISTURB, RING, VIBRATE
• 🟩 Evade: DODGE, ESCAPE, LOSE, SHAKE
• 🟦 What “W” might stand for: TUNGSTEN, WATT, WEST, WIN
• 🟪 ___string: DRAW, HAM, HEART, SHOE

March 1 (#629)

• 🟨 Associated with good luck: HORSESHOE, LADYBUG, PENNY, SHAMROCK
• 🟩 To-bo-compound words: TOLLBOOTH, TOMBOY, TOOLBOX, TOWBOAT
• 🟦 Broadway musicals, familiarly: FIDDLER, MERRILY, PHANTOM, SUNSET
• 🟪 Words before “cowboy” in film and music: DRUGSTORE, MIDNIGHT, RHINESTONE, SPACE

Feb. 28 (#628)

• 🟨 Be indecisive: HESITATE, WAFFLE, WAVER, YO-YO
• 🟩 Lovely person: ANGEL, DEAR, DOLL, PEACH
• 🟦 Lucidity: MARBLES, MIND, SENSE, WITS
• 🟪 Components of metaphors for things that can’t be undone: BELL, EGG, GENIE, TOOTHPASTE

Feb. 27 (#627)

• 🟨 Contact via telephone: CALL, DIAL, PHONE, RING
• 🟩 Parts of a car: BELT, HORN, MIRROR, WHEEL
• 🟦 Levels of biological organization: ATOM, CELL, ORGAN, TISSUE
• 🟪 Ending with units of measure: BIGFOOT, COMPOUND, INSTAGRAM, THERMOMETER

Feb. 26 (#626)

• 🟨 Expenditure: CHARGE, COST, PRICE, RATE
• 🟩 Onetime: FORMER, LATE, PAST, PRIOR
• 🟦 Made with horizontal lines: DASH, HYPHEN, MINUS, UNDERSCORE
• 🟪 Simpson family members with first letter changed: BAGGIE, BARGE, COMER, PISA

Feb. 25 (#625)

• 🟨 Enthusiasm: GUSTO, PASSION, RELISH, ZEST
• 🟩 “Many” in different languages: BEAUCOUP, MOLTO, MUCHO, MULTI
• 🟦 Rectangular prisms: BRICK, FISH TANK, MICROWAVE, SHOEBOX
• 🟪 Rhyme with U.S. coins: JENNY, LIME, MORTAR, PICKLE

Feb. 24 (#624)

• 🟨 Eat voraciously: GOBBLE, GULP, SCARF, WOLF
• 🟩 Bend under pressure: BOW, BUCKLE, CAVE, GIVE
• 🟦 Classic nautical tattoos: ANCHOR, COMPASS, MERMAID, SWALLOW
• 🟪 Body parts plus letter: BUTTE, CHINA, HEARTH, SHINE

Feb. 23 (#623)

• 🟨 Rub together: GNASH, GRATE, GRIND, SCRAPE
• 🟩 Ways to preserve food: CAN, FERMENT, FREEZE, PICKLE
• 🟦 Breakfast condiments: BUTTER, HOT SAUCE, JAM, SYRUP
• 🟪 Proverbial things that are spilled: BEANS, GUTS, MILK, TEA

Feb. 22 (#622)

• 🟨 Member of a team with the most championships: CANADIEN, CELTIC, PACKER, YANKEE
• 🟩 Create some volume/texture in hair: CRIMP, CURL, FEATHER, TEASE
• 🟦 Supplies for macaroni art: GLITTER, GLUE, MACARONI, PAPER
• 🟪 Words after “golden”: DOODLE, GOOSE, PARACHUTE, ROD

Feb. 21 (#621)

• 🟨 Ways of solving a problem: ANSWER, FIX, REMEDY, SOLUTION
• 🟩 Collect, as from an orchard: GATHER, HARVEST, PICK, REAP
• 🟦 Photoshop tools: ERASER, EYEDROPPER, LASSO, MAGIC WAND
• 🟪 Objects that may be right-or-left-handed: BASEBALL GLOVE, CAN OPENER, GOLF CLUB, GUITAR

Feb. 20 (#620)

• 🟨 Alert: ALARM, FLARE, SIGNAL, SOS
• 🟩 Spend the night (at): BUNK, CRASH, SLEEP, STAY
• 🟦 Associated with early morning: DEW, ROSTER, SUNRISE, WORM
• 🟪 Cookie cutter shapes in Squid Game: CIRCLE, STAR, TRIANGLE, UMBRELLA

Feb. 19 (#619)

• 🟨 Structures by the shore: BOARDWALK, DOCK, LIGHTHOUSE, WHARF
• 🟩 Small imperfection: DENT, DING, NICK, SCRATCH
• 🟦 Sounds a cuckoo clock makes: CHIME, CUCKOO, TICK, TOCK
• 🟪 ___tail: COCK, MOCK, PIG, PONY

Feb. 18 (#618)

• 🟨 Crater: CAVITY, HOLE, HOLLOW, PIT
• 🟩 Accessible: AVAILABLE, HANDY, NEARBY, READY
• 🟦 Substantial, as a meal: FILLING, HEARTY, SOLID, SQUARE
• 🟪 Britishisms: BUTTY, CHIPPY, FOOTY, TELLY

Feb. 17 (#617)

• 🟨 Time off: BREAK, LEAVE, REST, VACATION
• 🟩 Follow a meandering course: CURVE, SNAKE, WEAVE, WIND
• 🟦 Bowling results: DOUBLE, SPARE, STRIKE, TURKEY
• 🟪 ___fish: BLOW, CAT, GOLD, SWORD

Feb. 16 (#616)

• 🟨 Glimmer: HINT, SUGGESTION, TOUCH, TRACE
• 🟩 Correspond well with: COMPLEMENT, FIT, MATCH, SUIT
• 🟦 Famous puppets: LAMB CHOP, OSCAR, PUNCH, TRIUMPH
• 🟪 Dog breeds minus “er” sound: BOX, POINT, RETRIEVE, SET

Feb. 15 (#615)

• 🟨 Divulge: BLAB, DISH, SPILL, TELL
• 🟩 Words on a Mac keyboard: COMMAND, CONTROL, OPTION, RETURN
• 🟦 Words shortened in Rock genres: ALTERNATIVE, EMOTIONAL, POPULAR, PROGRESSIVE
• 🟪 ___cake: CHEESE, CUP, PAN, SHORT

Feb. 14 (#614)

• 🟨 Mollycoddle: BABY, HUMOR, INDULGE, PAMPER
• 🟩 Things a rattlesnake does: HISS, RATTLE, SHED, SLITHER
• 🟦 Words said to an unsuspecting person: BOO, GOTCHA, GUESS WHO, SURPRISE
• 🟪 Homophones of bodies of water: BAE, CREAK, SEE, STRAIGHT

Feb. 13 (#613)

• 🟨 Template: BLUEPRINT, GUIDE, MODEL, MOLD
• 🟩 Demonstration, as of appreciation: EXPRESSION, GESTURE, SYMBOL, TOKEN
• 🟦 Modal verbs: CAN, MIGHT, MUST, WILL
• 🟪 ___ trip: EGO, GUILT, HEAD, POWER

Feb. 12 (#612)

• 🟨 Documents of ownership: CERTIFICATE, DEED, RECEIPT, TITLE
• 🟩 Bits in a variety show: DANCE, MONOLOGUE, SKETCH, SONG
• 🟦 Props for characters on The Simpsons: DONUT, PACIFIER, SAXOPHONE, SKATEBOARD
• 🟪 Starting with “Shake, Rattle and Roll”: SHAKESPEARE, RATTLESNAKE, ANDROID, ROLLERBLADE

Feb. 11 (#611)

• 🟨 Wrest: JERK, TUG, WRENCH, YANK
• 🟩 Buster: BUB, BUD, JACK, MAN
• 🟦 Yoga accessories: BLOCK, BOLSTER, MAT, STAMP
• 🟪 ___ cap: HUB, KNEE, MAD, NIGHT

Feb. 10 (#610)

• 🟨 Sprinkle: DUST, PEPPER, SCATTER, SHOWER
• 🟩 Scents of wine: AROMA, BOUQUET, NOSE, NOTE
• 🟦 “Aah, enough!”: MERCY, STOP, TRUCE, UNCLE
• 🟪 Words famously pronounced different ways: AUNT, EITHER, TOMATO, VASE

Feb. 9 (#609)

• 🟨 Massive: GIANT, JUMBO, MONSTER, SUPER
• 🟩 Used when serving soup: BOWL, LADLE, POT, SPOON
• 🟦 Somebody: CHARACTER, INDIVIDUAL, PARTY, PERSON
• 🟪 Sci-fi franchises: ALIEN, AVATAR, DUNE, TRON

Feb. 8 (#608)

• 🟨 Info on a baseball card: BIO, PLAYER, STAT, TEAM
• 🟩 Scrunch, as fabric: BUNCH, GATHER, PUCKER, RUFFLE
• 🟦 Time adverbs: LATER, NOW, SOON, THEN
• 🟪 ___ food: FAST, FINGER, JUNK, SOUL

Feb. 7 (#607)

• 🟨 Be in charge of: DIRECT, HEAD, LEAD, RUN
• 🟩 Things made of rubber: BALLOON, ERASER, GALOSH, TIRE
• 🟦 Associated with the Genie in Aladdin: BLUE, EARRING, LAMP, WISHES
• 🟪 Red ___: BULL, CROSS, HERRING, VELVET

Feb. 6 (#606)

• 🟨 Delicate: FAINT, LIGHT, MILD, SOFT
• 🟩 Magnanimous: GRAND, GREAT, LOFTY, NOBLE
• 🟦 Things with necks: BOTTLE, GIRAFFE, GUITAR, LAMP
• 🟪 First names in jazz: CAB, COUNT, DIZZY, DUKE

Feb. 5 (#605)

• 🟨 Parts of a compensation package: BONUS, INSURANCE, SALARY, VACATION
• 🟩 Indication: FLAG, GIVEAWAY, SIGN, TELL
• 🟦 Things to do with a deck of cards: CUT, DEAL, FAN, SHUFFLE
• 🟪 What “bill” might refer to: BANKNOTE, BEAK, INVOICE, WILLIAM

Feb. 4 (#604)

• 🟨 Conserve: KEEP, PRESERVE, SAVE, STORE
• 🟩 Smooth using friction: BUFF, FILE, GRIND, SAND
• 🟦 Sports gambling terms: FAVORITE, PARLAY, SPREAD, UNDER
• 🟪 Words before “fingers”: BUTTER, CHICKEN, LADY, STICKY

Feb. 3 (#603)

• 🟨 Comment after an insult: BURN, OUCH, SNAP, ZING
• 🟩 Tiny amount, with “a”: BIT, LITTLE, MITE, TAD
• 🟦 Bit of citrus garnish: SLICE, TWIST, WEDGE, ZEST
• 🟪 Bungle, with “up”: FOUL, LOUSE, MUCK, SCREW

Feb. 2 (#602)

• 🟨 Dejected: BLUE, DOWN, HANGDOG, SORRY
• 🟩 Birds that are verbs: DUCK, GROUSE, HAWK, SWALLOW
• 🟦 TV comedy families: GRIFFIN, MUNSTER, PARTRIDGE, PICKLES
• 🟪 Words after “K”: MART, POP, STREET, SWISS

Feb. 1 (#601)

• 🟨 Tint: HUE, SHADE, TINGE, TONE
• 🟩 Components of a mystery: ALIBI, CLUE, DETECTIVE, SUSPECT
• 🟦 Take issue with: CHALLENGE, CONTEST, DISPUTE, QUESTION
• 🟪 Strike a ___: CHORD, DEAL, MATCH, POSE

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