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Spoiler warning: The hints below begin gently, but the category names and complete answers are revealed farther down the page.
This was an overlap-heavy Connections board. Words such as wood, chestnut, ash, cherry, and ebony can all point toward misleading wood, tree, or color-related groupings. The safest approach is to avoid locking in a category until all four words fit cleanly.
The 16 words in Connections #385
Here is the complete board before the reveal:
ASH · ELECTRIC · SAW · JET · GAS · CHESTNUT · FILTER · GUM · EBONY · MAXIM · WOOD · HEATER · PUMP · CHERRY · CHARCOAL · ADAGE
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Hints for the June 30 Connections puzzle
Try these in order. The first clue for each group is intentionally broad; the stronger clue gives away more without listing the answers.
Yellow group hint
General hint: A traditional expression or proverb.
Stronger hint: These words can each describe an old saying.
Green group hint
General hint: Ways to provide heat for outdoor cooking.
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Stronger hint: Think barbecue or grill fuel sources, including one option that is not a traditional combustible fuel.
Blue group hint
General hint: Woody types.
Stronger hint: These are names of trees.
Purple group hint
General hint: Parts found in a spa or hot tub system.
Stronger hint: Think about what circulates, heats, filters, or propels water.
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NYT Connections #385 answers for Sunday, June 30, 2024
Full spoiler reveal below.
| Group | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | OLD SAYING | ADAGE, CHESTNUT, MAXIM, SAW |
| Green | GRILL FUEL SOURCES | CHARCOAL, ELECTRIC, GAS, WOOD |
| Blue | TREES | ASH, CHERRY, EBONY, GUM |
| Purple | HOT TUB COMPONENTS | FILTER, HEATER, JET, PUMP |
Yellow: OLD SAYING
- ADAGE
- CHESTNUT
- MAXIM
- SAW
Adage and maxim are direct synonyms for a proverb or familiar saying. Saw can also mean a traditional saying. The trickiest entry is chestnut, which can refer to an old, familiar joke, story, or saying.
Green: GRILL FUEL SOURCES
- CHARCOAL
- ELECTRIC
- GAS
- WOOD
These are four ways a grill can be powered or heated. Electric is the category’s slight stretch because it is not a fuel in the same sense as charcoal, gas, or wood, but it fits the published group of grill fuel sources.
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- ASH
- CHERRY
- EBONY
- GUM
Ash, cherry, ebony, and gum are all tree names. Several also describe types of wood or colors, which makes this group easy to confuse with other possible combinations on the board.
Rank #4
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Purple: HOT TUB COMPONENTS
- FILTER
- HEATER
- JET
- PUMP
A hot tub or spa system may include a filter, heater, water jet, and pump. These entries are all strongly associated with spa equipment, although jet and pump can initially suggest many unrelated categories.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why this Connections board was difficult
The puzzle deliberately creates several semantic overlaps:
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- CHESTNUT, ASH, CHERRY, and EBONY can look like a group of colors or wood types. CHESTNUT instead belongs with ADAGE, MAXIM, and SAW because it can mean an old or familiar saying.
- FILTER, HEATER, JET, and PUMP are all hot-tub terms, but individual words such as JET and PUMP are broad enough to invite unrelated guesses.
The main lesson is to test the exact relationship between every word in a proposed group. Finding three words that seem related is not enough if the fourth word requires a different interpretation.
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Want more Connections puzzles?
Readers who want access to the broader Games catalog can look into a New York Times Games subscription or gift subscription. Availability, pricing, archive access, and any referral program should be checked directly with The New York Times; a subscription should not be assumed to be required for access to the current daily puzzle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the answer to NYT Connections on June 30, 2024?
The four categories were OLD SAYING, GRILL FUEL SOURCES, TREES, and HOT TUB COMPONENTS.
What were the purple answers in Connections puzzle #385?
The purple group was HOT TUB COMPONENTS: FILTER, HEATER, JET, and PUMP.
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Why was the June 30, 2024 Connections puzzle so difficult?
Several words suggested overlapping wood, tree, color, heat, or equipment categories. WOOD was a grill-heating answer rather than a tree answer, while CHESTNUT belonged with old sayings rather than with the tree and wood-related words.
The Bottom Line
NYT Connections puzzle #385, from Sunday, June 30, 2024, grouped its words into OLD SAYING, GRILL FUEL SOURCES, TREES, and HOT TUB COMPONENTS.
Quick Recap
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