Today's NYT Connections Hints (and Answer) for Wednesday, July 3, 2024
If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Wednesday, July 3, 2024, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we’ll learn how everything fits together. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 3, NYT Connections #388! Read on if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Connections game.
If you want an easy way to come back to our Connections hints every day, bookmark this page. You can also find our past hints there as well, in case you want to know what you missed in a previous puzzle.
Below, I’ll give you some oblique hints at today’s Connections answers. And farther down the page, I’ll reveal the themes and the answers. Scroll slowly and take just the hints you need!
Credit: Connections/NYT
Hints for the themes in today’s Connections puzzle
Here are some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in today’s Connections:
- Yellow category - Activities you might do before creating a first draft.
- Green category - The opposite of imaginary.
- Blue category - You might see these words in the baking section of a cookbook.
- Purple category - These words all can be described using the same verb—a verb that's often used in sports.
BEWARE: Spoilers follow for today’s Connections puzzle!
We’re about to give away some of the answers. Scroll slowly if you don’t want the whole thing spoiled. (The full solution is a bit further down.)
A heads up about the tricky parts
CONCRETE and MARBLE are both countertop materials, but they don’t fit together today.
SPITBALL is a verb, not a noun.
PARTY and BIRTHDAY don’t go together, but PARTY and TANTRUM—somewhat paradoxically—do.
What are the categories in today’s Connections?
- Yellow: DEVELOP, AS IDEAS
- Green: TANGIBLE
- Blue: KINDS OF CAKE
- Purple: THINGS YOU CAN THROW, IN METAPHORS
DOUBLE BEWARE: THE SOLUTION IS BELOW
Ready to learn the answers to today’s Connections puzzle? I give them all away below.
What are the yellow words in today’s Connections?
The yellow grouping is considered to be the most straightforward. The theme for today’s yellow group is DEVELOP, AS IDEAS and the words are: BRAINSTORM, IDEATE, SPITBALL, WORKSHOP.
What are the green words in today’s Connections?
The green grouping is supposed to be the second-easiest. The theme for today’s green category is TANGIBLE and the words are: CONCRETE, MATERIAL, REAL, SOLID.
What are the blue words in today’s Connections?
The blue grouping is the second-hardest. The theme for today’s blue category is KINDS OF CAKE and the words are: BIRTHDAY, CRUMB, MARBLE, POUND.
What are the purple words in today’s Connections?
The purple grouping is considered to be the hardest. The theme for today’s purple category is THINGS YOU CAN THROW, IN METAPHORS and the words are: CURVEBALL, PARTY, TANTRUM, WRENCH.
How I solved today’s Connections
After a quick scan, it looks like there’s a straightforward synonym category with BRAINSTORM, WORKSHOP, IDEATE, and SPITBALL. 🟨
CURVEBALL and WRENCH (as in, “that throws a WRENCH into things”) seem to be synonyms for something unexpected or surprising, but it doesn’t look like there are any obvious buddies for those two terms, so let’s keep looking.
At first I think CONCRETE goes with MARBLE, but then I see that it actually goes with SOLID, REAL, and MATERIAL, because all four refer to things that are tangible rather than imaginary. 🟩
Seeing MARBLE and CRUMB together makes me think of types of cakes, and it looks like that would go with BIRTHDAY and POUND, which are also types of cakes. 🟦
That leaves CURVEBALL, TANTRUM, PARTY, and WRENCH. Are those all things that relate to surprise or shock? 🟪 Oh, things you can throw. Sure!
How to play Connections
I have a full guide to playing Connections, but here’s a refresher on the rules:
First, find the Connections game either on the New York Times website or in their Games app (formerly the Crossword app). You’ll see a game board with 16 tiles, each with one word or phrase. Your job is to select a group of four tiles that have something in common. Often they are all the same type of thing (for example: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all types of wet weather) but sometimes there is wordplay involved (for example, BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all types of lists: bucket list, guest list, and so on).
Select four items and hit the Submit button. If you guessed correctly, the category and color will be revealed. (Yellow is easiest, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess was incorrect, you’ll get a chance to try again.
You win when you’ve correctly identified all four groups. But if you make four mistakes before you finish, the game ends and the answers are revealed.
How to win Connections
The most important thing to know to win Connections is that the groupings are designed to be tricky. Expect to see overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle seemed to include six breakfast foods: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. But BACON turned out to be part of a group of painters along with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, and EGG was in a group of things that come by the dozen (along with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don’t hit “submit” until you’ve confirmed that your group of four contains only those four things.
If you’re stuck, another strategy is to look at the words that seem to have no connection to the others. If all that comes to mind when you see WHISTLER is the painting nicknamed “Whistler’s Mother,” you might be on to something. When I solved that one, I ended up googling whether there was a painter named Close, because Close didn’t fit any of the obvious themes, either.
Another way to win when you’re stuck is, obviously, to read a few helpful hints–which is why we share these pointers every day. Check back tomorrow for the next puzzle!
If you need help answering today's Connections in the entertainment section, refer to the yellow category. It contains words related to developing ideas, such as 'Brainstorm', 'Ideate', 'Spitball', and 'Workshop'. Additionally, if you're looking for a fun way to engage with Connections answers and past puzzles, consider bookmarking this page for easy access.
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