Today’s Connections Answer: Nov. 14 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 (Nov. 14)

A few hints for today’s categories of Connections (#522) are:

• 🟨 Yellow group: reduce amount or energy considerably
• 🟩 Green group: make music with energy
• 🟦 Blue group: these are in a certain tipe of bill
• 🟪 Purple group: processed sugarcane

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 (Nov. 14)

The categories that connect today’s words in Connections (#522) are:

• 🟨 Yellow group: deplete
• 🟩 Green group: play music with passion
• 🟦 Blue group: words on a restaurant receipt
• 🟪 Purple group: forms of sugar

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 (Nov. 14)

The answers to today’s Connections puzzle (#522) are:

• 🟨 Deplete: DRAIN, EMPTY, EXHAUST, SAP
• 🟩 Play music with passion: GROOVE, JAM, ROCK, SHRED
• 🟦 Words on a restaurant receipt: SIGNATURE, TAX, TIP, TOTAL
• 🟪 Forms of sugar: CUBE, GRAIN, POWDER, SYRUP

Past Connections answers

Nov. 13 (#521)

• 🟨 Things that are yellow: CANARY, LEMON, MINION, MUSTARD
• 🟩 Building add-ons: ADDITION, ANNEX, EXTENSION, WING
• 🟦 Concerns for a dentist: CALCULUS, CAVITY, PLAQUE, TARTAR
• 🟪 Words that seem longer written than spoken: COLONEL, PHARAOH, WEDNESDAY, WORCESTERSHIRE

Nov. 12 (#520)

• 🟨 Complain: BELLYACHE, CARP, CRAB, GRUMBLE
• 🟩 Vegetable units: CLOVE, FLORET, SPEAR, STALK
• 🟦 Laptop specs: RAM, RESOLUTION, SPEED, STORAGE
• 🟪 Features of justice personified: BLINDFOLD, ROBE, SCALES, SWORD

Nov. 11 (#519)

• 🟨 Chocolate bars: CRUNCH, DOVE, MARS, PAYDAY
• 🟩 Gist: CORE, MEAT, SUBSTANCE, THRUST
• 🟦 Kinds of bras: DEMI, PUSH-UP, SPORTS, WIRELESS
• 🟪 ___ bird: BIG, EARLY, LADY, SUE

Nov. 10 (#518)

• 🟨 Barrel-shaped container: CASK, CYLINDER, DRUM, TANK
• 🟩 Guide: PILOT, SHEPHERD, STEER, USHER
• 🟦 NFL team member: COWBOY, JET, RAM, RAVEN
• 🟪 Things that swing: GOLFER, PENDULUM, SALOON DOORS, SWING

Nov. 9 (#517)

• 🟨 Contorted: BENT, GNARLY, TWISTED, WARPED
• 🟩 Smallest amount: LICK, OUNCE, SHRED, TRACE
• 🟦 Algebra terms: EXPONENT, POWER, RADICAL, ROOT
• 🟪 Words before “room” to mean lavatory: BATH, POWDER, REST, THRONE

Nov. 8 (#516)

• 🟨 Escapade: ANTIC, CAPER, EXPLOIT, STUNT
• 🟩 Kinds of pickles: DILL, KOSHER, SOUR, SWEET
• 🟦 Risqué: ADULT, BLUE, SPICY, SUGGESTIVE
• 🟪 Cut the ___: CHEESE, CORD, DECK, MUSTARD

Nov. 7 (#515)

• 🟨 Food-related jumbles: HASH, SALAD, SCRAMBLE, STEW
• 🟩 Public standing: CHARACTER, IMAGE, NAME, REPUTATION
• 🟦 Info on a museum placard: ARTIST, MEDIUM, TITLE, YEAR
• 🟪 Anagrams of famous painters: DIAL, EGADS, MONTE, YOGA

Nov. 6 (#514)

• 🟨 DVR buttons: PAUSE, PLAY, RECORD, STOP
• 🟩 Groundbreaking: DIFFERENT, NEW, NOVEL, ORIGINAL
• 🟦 Communicate through writing: CORRESPOND, MESSAGE, TEXT, WRITE
• 🟪 Things with feet: BIPED, FURNITURE, POEM, YARDSTICK

Nov. 5 (#513)

• 🟨 Things that are fuzzy: CATERPILLAR, FLEECE, PEACH, PIPE CLEANER
• 🟩 Things with shells: CLAM, EGG, NUT, TURTLE
• 🟦 Figures in Shrek: DONKEY, DRAGON, OGRE, PRINCESS
• 🟪 Magic ___: CARPET, KINGDOM, MARKER, MUSHROOM

Nov. 4 (#512)

• 🟨 Equip: FURNISH, OUTFIT, PROVISION, STOCK
• 🟩 Individuality: BEING, CHARACTER, EGO, SELF
• 🟦 Furniture: CHEST, CONSOLE, VANITY, WARDROBE
• 🟪 Words with apostrophes removed: CANT, ID, SHELL, WERE

Nov. 3 (#511)

• 🟨 Heartwarming: MOVING, SWEET, TENDER, TOUCHING
• 🟩 Sneaking suspicion: FEELING, HUNCH, IMPRESSION, SENSE
• 🟦 Legal session: HEARING, INQUIRY, PROCEEDING, TRIAL
• 🟪 Easy ___: CHAIR, LISTENING, MONEY, STREET

Nov. 2 (#510)

• 🟨 Seen in a kitchen: COUNTER, FRIDGE, RANGE, SINK
• 🟩 Group of advisors: BOARD, CABINET, COUNCIL, PANEL
• 🟦 Core exercises: BOAT, CRUNCH, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER, PLANK
• 🟪 Kinds of earrings: CHANDELIER, DROP, HOOP, STUD

Nov. 1 (#509)

• 🟨 Progress slowly: CRAWL, CREEP, DRAG, INCH
• 🟩 Ways to order a beer: BOTTLE, CAN, DRAFT, TAP
• 🟦 Cheesy corn snack unit: BALL, CURL, DOODLE, PUFF
• 🟪 ___ effect: BUTTERFLY, DOMINO, HALO, PLACEBO

Oct. 31 (#508)

• 🟨 Terms of endearment: DARLING, LOVE, PUMPKIN, TREASURE
• 🟩 Things you can do with your eyelids: BAT, BLINK, FLUTTER, WINK
• 🟦 Sports cars: DIABLO, MUSTANG, SPIDER, VIPER
• 🟪 ___ hunt: EGG, JOB, SCAVENGER, WITCH

Oct. 30 (#507)

• 🟨 Upswing: BOOM, RISE, SPIKE, SURGE
• 🟩 Things with wheels: DOLLY, ROLLERBLADE, SKATEBOARD, WAGON
• 🟦 Kinds of tape: DUCT, ELECTRICAL, GAFFER, PACKING
• 🟪 Retail chains with a letter changed: BEST BOY, IDEA, KRONER, STABLES

Oct. 29 (#506)

• 🟨 In pristine condition: MINT, NEW, ORIGINAL, UNUSED
• 🟩 Medical roles: ATTENDING, FELLOW, INTERN, RESIDENT
• 🟦 Singular noun in a famous “Julius Caesar” line: COUNTRYMAN, EAR, FRIEND, ROMAN
• 🟪 ___ square: PERFECT, POCKET, TIMES, TOWN

Oct. 28 (#505)

• 🟨 Audio apps: AUDIBLE, PANDORA, SHAZAM, TIDAL
• 🟩 Indicate: MEAN, SIGNIFY, SPELL, SUGGEST
• 🟦 Church of England wedding vow verbs: CHERISH, HAVE, HOLD, LOVE
• 🟪 Magic words: ABRACADABRA, PLEASE, PRESTO, THANK YOU

Oct. 27 (#504)

• 🟨 Sassy: CUTE, FRESH, SMART, WISE
• 🟩 Ambience: AIR, FEELING, MOOD, QUALITY
• 🟦 Units: BAR, BELL, LUX, MOLE
• 🟪 The Little ___: MERMAID, PRINCE, RASCALS, TRAMP

Oct. 26 (#503)

• 🟨 Fluster: FAZE, RATTLE, RUFFLE, THROW
• 🟩 Series of messages: CHAIN, CHAT, CONVERSATION, THREAD
• 🟦 Places to lie/sit that move: CRADLE, HAMMOCK, ROCKER, SWING
• 🟪 Cylinder-shaped things: CAN, ROLLER, SILO, SPOOL

Oct. 25 (#502)

• 🟨 • : DOT, PERIOD, POINT, TITTLE
• 🟩 Event with dancing: BALL, FORMAL, HOP, RAVE
• 🟦 iPhone message tapback responses: EXCLAMATION POINTS, HEART, QUESTION MARK, THUMBS UP
• 🟪 “Pan”: BAD REVIEW, CAMERA MOVEMENT, COOKWARE, SATYR

Oct. 24 (#501)

• 🟨 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

Oct. 23 (#500)

• 🟨 Yellow ___: CAB, JACKET, JOURNALISM, PAGES
• 🟩 Green ___: BERET, GOBLIN, SALAD, THUMB
• 🟦 Blue ___: JAY, JEANS, MOON, WHALE
• 🟪 Purple ___: HAZE, HEART, PROSE, RAIN

Oct. 22 (#499)

• 🟨 Brand-name: DESIGNER, HAUTE, HIGH-END, LUXURY
• 🟩 Devise: CONCOCT, ENGINEER, HATCH, MASTERMIND
• 🟦 NASA spacecraft: GALILEO, PIONEER, VIKING, VOYAGER
• 🟪 Games where you say the game’s name: BINGO, MARCO POLO, TAG, UNO

Oct. 21 (#498)

• 🟨 Kinds of beans: KINDNEY, MUNG, NAVY, PINTO
• 🟩 Attract: DRAW, GRAB, HOOK, REVERSE
• 🟦 Automatic gear shifter positions: DRIVE, LOW, NEUTRAL, REVERSE
• 🟪 ___pool: CAR, DEAD, LIVER, WHIRL

Oct. 20 (#497)

• 🟨 Bit of newspaper writing: ARTICLE, COLUMN, FEATURE, STORY
• 🟩 Noisy disturbance: CLATTER, RACKET, ROW, RUCKUS
• 🟦 Table tennis needs: BALL, NET, PADDLE, TABLE
• 🟪 Homophones of coordinating conjunctions: BUTT, FORE, OAR, SEW

Oct. 19 (#496)

• 🟨 Bring about: GENERATE, INSPIRE, PROMPT, PROVOKE
• 🟩 Things that are often scented: CANDLE, INCENSE, LOTION, SOAP
• 🟦 Things that might sting: INSULT, JELLYFISH, NETTLE, WASP
• 🟪 Video game franchises: CIVILIZATION, HALO, MADDEN, METROID

Oct. 18 (#495)

• 🟨 Clunker: BUST, DUD, FLOP, MISS
• 🟩 Opportunity: CHANCE, SHOT, TIME, TURN
• 🟦 Non-cash way to pay: CARD, CHARGE, CREDIT, PLASTIC
• 🟪 Amazon ___: KINDLE, PRIME, RAINFOREST, RIVER

Oct. 17 (#494)

• 🟨 Grassy area: GREEN, LAWN, PARK, YARD
• 🟩 Deal with: ADDRESS, ANSWER, FIELD, HANDLE
• 🟦 Movies with “S” removed: CAR, GOODFELLA, JAW, SWINGER
• 🟪 ___ law: CRIMINAL, HARVARD, LEMON, NATURAL

Oct. 16 (#493)

• 🟨 At some future point: EVENTUALLY, LATER, NEXT, SOON
• 🟩 Parts of a tournament setup: BRACKET, BYE, ROUND, SEED
• 🟦 Bit of breakfast cereal: CHEERIO, FLAKE, PEBBLE, PUFF
• 🟪 What the outstretched index and middle fingers can represent: PEACE, SCISSORS, TWO, VICTORY

Oct. 15 (#492)

• 🟨 Football positions: CENTER, GUARD, QUARTERBACK, SAFETY
• 🟩 Cable channels: DISCOVERY, HISTORY, NICKELODEON, OXYGEN
• 🟦 Fictional clowns: HOMEY, JOKER, PENNYWISE, RONALD
• 🟪 What “D” might stand for: DEFENSE, DEMOCRAT, DIMENSIONAL, DRIVE

Oct. 14 (#491)

• 🟨 Rummage: COMB, DIG, ROOT, SIFT
• 🟩 Sounds of thunder: CLAP, PEAL, ROLL, RUMBLE
• 🟦 Ways to wear your hair up: BRAID, BUN, PONY, TWIST
• 🟪 Things that can have leaves: BOOK, SALAD, TABLE, TREE

Oct. 13 (#490)

• 🟨 Made of keratin: CLAW, HOOF, HORN, NAIL
• 🟩 Road runner cartoon staples: ANVIL, BOULDER, COYOTE, TNT
• 🟦 Kinds of pants: CAPRI, CARGO, HAMMER, STIRRUP
• 🟪 ___ roll: CALIFORNIA, DRUM, EGG, HONOR

Oct. 12 (#489)

• 🟨 Draped accessories: SCARF, SHAWL, STOLE, WRAP
• 🟩 Tolerate: BEAR, STAND, SWALLOW, TAKE
• 🟦 Bird onomatopoeia: COO, GOBBLE, HONK, HOOT
• 🟪 Starts of cell phone makers: APP, GOO, MOTOR, SAM

Oct. 11 (#488)

• 🟨 Cherish: RELISH, SAVOR, TREASURE, VALUE
• 🟩 Quick jump in the pool: DIP, DIVE, SPLASH, SWIM
• 🟦 Additional benefit: BONUS, EXTRA, FROSTING, GRAVY
• 🟪 Brashness: BRASS, CHEEK, NERVE, SAUCE

Oct. 10 (#487)

• 🟨 Body parts: ARM, EYE, HIP, LEG
• 🟩 Cool, in ’80s slang: BAD, FLY, ILL, RAD
• 🟦 Movies: BIG, ELF, HER, SAW
• 🟪 Words in “Do-Re-Mi”: DOE, FAR, SEW, TEA

Oct. 9 (#486)

• 🟨 Effervescence: BUBBLES, FIZZ, FOAM, FROTH
• 🟩 Burgeon: BLOSSOM, DEVELOP, MATURE, PROGRESS
• 🟦 Music publications: BILLBOARD, MOJO, PITCHFORK, SPIN
• 🟪 Ending with tableware: BOILERPLATE, BUTTERCUP, JACKKNIFE, WITHERSPOON

Oct. 8 (#485)

• 🟨 Halloween symbols: BAT, PUMPKIN, SPIDER, WITCH
• 🟩 Prohibit: BAN, BLOCK, DENY, FORBID
• 🟦 Found on sheet music: ACCIDENTAL, NOTE, REST, STAFF
• 🟪 Candy ___: APPLE, BAR, CANE, CORN

Oct. 7 (#484)

• 🟨 Knucklehead: DING-DONG, DODO, YAHOO, YO-YO
• 🟩 Car onomatopoeia: BEEP BEEP, PURR, SKRRT, VROOM
• 🟦 Sounds of laughter: HAR-HAR, HOOT, WHOOP, YUK
• 🟪 Famous primates: BUBBLES, GEORGE, KING KONG, KOKO

Oct. 6 (#483)

• 🟨 Turn tail: FLEE, LEAVE, RETREAT, WITHDRAW
• 🟩 Things cats do: KNEAD, PURR, SCRATCH, SHED
• 🟦 Pages on a website: ABOUT, CONTACT, HOME, LOGIN
• 🟪 ___ cheese: COTTAGE, CREAM, GOAT, STRING

Oct. 5 (#482)

• 🟨 Steak cuts: FILET, HANGER, SKIRT, T-BONE
• 🟩 Kinds of underwear: BIKINI, G-STRING, HIPSTER, THONG
• 🟦 Involved in a dentist visit: DRILL, SINK, TOOTHBRUSH, X-RAY
• 🟪 Brands that have become generic terms: CHAPSTICK, JACUZZI, Q-TIP, XEROX

Oct. 4 (#481)

• 🟨 Concavity: DENT, DIMPLE, DING, DIVOT
• 🟩 Small amount: DAB, DASH, DOLLOP, DROP
• 🟦 Disney characters: DAISY, DALE, DOC, DORY
• 🟪 ___ date: DELIVERY, DINNER, DREAM, DUE

Oct. 3 (#480)

• 🟨 Beverages: JUICE, MILK, PUNCH, SODA
• 🟩 Care for a plant: FERTILIZE, POT, PRUNE, WATER
• 🟦 Item sold in Paris: BOOKEND, EARBUD, SKI, SOCK
• 🟪 Bugs plus starting letter: BLOUSE, PANT, SMITE, STICK

Oct. 2 (#479)

• 🟨 Put on the line: BET, CHANCE, GAMBLE, RISK
• 🟩 Use a kitchen knife: CUBE, DICE, JULIENNE, SLICE
• 🟦 Robert de Niro films: CASINO, HEAT, JOKER, TAXI DRIVER
• 🟪 Distinctive number of arms (or lack thereof): OCTOPUS, SHIVA, SLOT MACHINE, VENUS DE MILO

Oct. 1 (#478)

• 🟨 Flustered state: LATHER, STEW, SWEAT, TIZZY
• 🟩 Fitness: CONDITION, FORM, HEALTH, SHAPE
• 🟦 Fast-moving water: CASCADE, CURRENT, RAPID, WAVE
• 🟪 Dishwasher cycles: NORMAL, QUICK, RINSE, SANITIZE

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