If you’re looking for the answer to the Connections question for Thursday, August 29, 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, there are spoilers for NYT Connections No. 445 from August 29th below! Read on if you want some clues (and then the answer) about today’s Connections game.
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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:
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Yellow category – instrument types.
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Green category – words related to thinking or assessing.
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Blue Category – You must apply (and pay a large fee) to be admitted.
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Purple category – halves of iconic brands.
WARNING: 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
JUDGE is a verb.
Nowadays, there is no such thing as a fancy title category, although there are words like NOBLE, DUKE and COUNT.
YOUNG is a name, not an adjective.
Anyone familiar with the higher education system in the United States will find today’s blue category easier to deal with.
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 simplest. The theme of today’s yellow group is “PIANO” and the words are: ELECTRONIC, GRAND PIANO, PLAYER, PIANO.
What do the green words in today’s connections mean?
The green grouping is probably the second easiest. The theme for today’s green category is DEEM and the words are: CONSIDER, COUNT, JUDGE.
What do the blue words mean in today’s connections?
The blue grouping is the second most difficult. The topic for today’s blue category is US COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES and the words are: BROWN, DUKE, HOWARD, SMITH.
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 MIDDLE NAMES IN COMPANIES WITH AMPERALS and the words are: GAMBLE, JOHNSON, NOBLE, YOUNG.
How I solved today’s connections
Hmm, I see some fancy titles on the board (NOBLE, DUKE, COUNT), but I also see some schools (HOWARD, DUKE, BROWN). Interesting! Let’s see what I can find out.
JUDGE and REGARD could also go together, as in JUDGEN or CONCERNING a particular situation. Oh, CONSIDER fits in there too. Maybe COUNT too, as in “I COUNT you among my friends”? 🟩
It looks like there’s probably a university category with DUKE, BROWN, and HOWARD – the problem is that both JOHNSON and SMITH are also schools. SMITH is the one I’m more familiar with, but technically it’s a college; does that rule it out? I’m not sure yet. I want to see what the other categories are first and see if I can rule anything out.
Ah, I see now that there could be a piano category, with “piano,” “grand piano,” “electronic,” and “player.” 🟨 Nice.
The last eight words leave me perplexed – the only new ones I can think of are GAMBLE and JOHNSON, both of which are halves of major brand names: Procter & GAMBLE and JOHNSON & Johnson.
I think I’ll try SMITH, DUKE, HOWARD and BROWN because those are the most famous school names. 🟦 Yay, for once a guess went in my favor. I hate this “one away win.”
OK, so we’re left with GAMBLE, YOUNG, NOBLE and JOHNSON. Maybe it’s a company category, because Ernst & YOUNG is also a company, right? Is there one with NOBLE? Oh, Barnes & NOBLE! 🟪
Connections Puzzle #445 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪
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!
