If you’re looking for the answer to the Connections question for Saturday, August 24, 2024, read on – I’ll give you some hints, tips and strategies, and finally the solutions for all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meaning of the more difficult words and we’ll learn how it all fits together. Warning, below you will find spoilers for NYT Connections #440 from August 24th! Read on if you want some clues (and then the answer) about today’s Connections game.
If you want to easily access our connections tips every day, Bookmark this page. You can also find our previous clues there if you want to know what you missed in a previous puzzle.
Below I’ll give you some indirect clues about today’s Connections answers. And further down the page I’ll reveal the topics and answers. Scroll slowly and take only the clues you need!
Photo credit: Connections/NYT
Clues to the topics in today’s Connections Puzzle
Here are some spoiler-free clues about the groups in today’s Connections:
-
Yellow category – I’m not sure, but that’s what they say.
-
Green category – movement to surprise someone.
-
Blue Category – These are the places you can visit when you arrive at your destination to help you navigate throughout your trip.
-
Purple Category: There is something hidden at the end of all of these categories.
ATTENTION: Spoilers for today’s connections puzzle follow!
We’ll reveal some of the answers in a moment. Scroll slowly if you don’t want to give away everything. (The full solution is a little further down.)
A note on the tricky parts
JARGON and SPEAKING don’t go together.
Thrift and stealing don’t go together either.
RUMBLING means a murmuring sound, not a vibration or tectonic movement.
I am not sure if the brands represented in the blue category are known worldwide, but if you are having difficulties, you may want to Consult this list.
And if you have trouble with today’s purple category, think back to your elementary school science lessons – or consult this page.
What categories are there in today’s connections?
DOUBLE CAUTION: THE SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND BELOW
Want to know the answers to today’s Connections puzzle? I’ll reveal them all below.
What are the yellow words in today’s connections?
The yellow grouping is considered the easiest. The topic of today’s yellow group is HEARSAY and the words are: rumblings, speculation, talking, whispering.
What do the green words in today’s connections mean?
The green group is supposedly the second easiest. The theme for today’s green category is “MOVING IN HIDDEN” and the words are: CRAWLE, KNOCK OUT, STEAL, ON TIPTOE.
What do the blue words in today’s connections mean?
The blue grouping is the second most difficult. The topic for today’s blue category is CAR RENTAL COMPANY and the words are: BUDGET, ENTERPRISE, NATIONAL, THRIFTY.
What are the purple words in today’s connections?
The purple grouping is considered the most difficult. The topic of today’s purple category is “ENDING WITH CHEMICAL ELEMENTS” and the words are: ENVIRON, JARGON, LATIN, PLEAD.
How I solved today’s connections
I see two categories that I need to go through: a “secrecy” category and a “gossip” category.
The first one has TIPTOE, CREEP, SLIP and… oh, STEAL, as in “STEAL away.” 🟩
Next, TALKING, WHISPERING, SPECULATION and GROUPING all refer to gossip. 🟨
ENTERPRISE and BUDGET are now on the right side of the puzzle together, which helps me associate them with the car rental companies of the same name. I believe NATIONAL and THRIFTY are two other car rental brands. 🟦
That leaves LATIN, JARGON, ENVIRON and PLEAD – oh, they all have element names at the end: tin, argon, iron and lead. 🟪
Connections Puzzle #440 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪
How to play Connections
I have a full How to play Connectionsbut here is a refresher of the rules:
First, find the Connections game on either the New York Times website or their Games app (formerly the Crossword app). You’ll see a game board with 16 tiles, each with a word or phrase. Your job is to select a group of four tiles that have something in common. Often these are the same type of thing (for example: RAIN, SNOW MUD, HAIL and SNOW are all types of wet weather), but sometimes there are word games (for example: BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN and WISH are all types of Lists: bucket list, guest list, etc.).
Select four items and click 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 wrong, you’ll have the option to try again.
You win if you identify all four groups correctly, but if you make four mistakes before you finish, the game is over and the answers are revealed.
How to gain connections
The most important thing to know about winning Connections is that the groupings are tricky. Expect overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle appeared to contain 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 click submit until you’ve confirmed that your group of four includes only these four things.
If you get stuck, you can also look at the words that NO Connection to the others. If the only thing that comes to mind when you think of WHISTLER is the painting nicknamed “Whistler’s Mother,” you may be on the right track. Once I had that problem solved, I ended up Googling whether there was a painter named Close, because Close didn’t fit any of the obvious themes either.
Of course, another way to win if you get stuck is to read a few helpful hints – that’s why we share these clues every day. Check back tomorrow to read the next puzzle!
