NYT Connections game #488 was the puzzle for Friday, October 11, 2024. Its four categories were Cherish, Quick jump in the pool, Additional benefit and Brashness. The full word bank and spoiler-marked answers are below.
Hints for Connections #488
Use these from gentlest to most direct. The final two point toward the category labels.
- Yellow: Really like
- Green: Don’t forget the water wings
- Blue: Something more
- Purple: Impertinence
The 16 words
NERVE, SPLASH, EXTRA, RELISH, GRAVY, TREASURE, SAUCE, DIP, DIVE, BONUS, VALUE, BRASS, FROSTING, CHEEK, SWIM, SAVOR.
Connections #488 answers
Spoilers below. The complete groups, as reported by TechRadar’s October 10, 2024 guide to the following day’s game, are:
#1 Best Overall
- The game where _______ minds think alike!
- Prepare yourself for Blank Slate, a game of addicting predictions! How well can you put your finger on what everyone's thinking?
- Pick a Word Cue card, write the word you think best completes the phrase, and try to match it to anther player's word without giving a single hint
- Easy to learn, quick to play, and fun for the whole family; just grab a slate, write a word, and get ready to make a match. Great for large groups or small gatherings!
- Includes: Scoreboard, 8 dry-erase slates, 250 doubled-sided word cue cards, rules
- Yellow — CHERISH: RELISH, SAVOR, TREASURE, VALUE
- Green — QUICK JUMP IN THE POOL: DIP, DIVE, SPLASH, SWIM
- Blue — ADDITIONAL BENEFIT: BONUS, EXTRA, FROSTING, GRAVY
- Purple — BRASHNESS: BRASS, CHEEK, NERVE, SAUCE
The food-word overlap is a likely trap: SAUCE, DIP, RELISH and GRAVY can look like a food-related set, but the answer groups separate them across different meanings.
Why the groupings can be deceptive
Connections gives players 16 words and asks them to find four groups of four with a shared connection. The New York Times Help Center says each puzzle has exactly one solution and is designed so words may seem to fit multiple categories. In this grid, for example, food associations can distract from the intended categories: GRAVY belongs with words meaning an additional benefit, while SAUCE fits the group for brashness.
Rank #2
- STRATEGIC THINKING: Elevate the fun with this game, where players strategically choose word combinations, making it perfect for party games for adults and family, enhancing both depth and complexity.
- MULTIPLAYER FUN: Engage in multiplayer entertainment with Subtext Showdown, perfect for game nights with 3 to 6 participants, promoting communication and creative thinking in the realm of adult games for game night.
- POINTS OF PRECISION: Accumulate points by adeptly deducing associations or demonstrating telepathic synchronicity, ensuring a gratifying experience for effective communication and intuitive connections in adult board games.
- RACE AGAINST TIME: With a ticking clock, players must think quickly and make their associations before time runs out, adding an exciting element of urgency to the game.
- EXCITING PERFECT GIFT: Combine phrases from the 16 cards to form associations that friends can decode, providing an exhilarating challenge in teen-friendly card games, perfect gift for any occasion.
Where to play and when the next puzzle appears
The New York Times Help Center says the daily puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone. It lists the Games app, NYTimes.com’s Connections page, NYTimes.com/theathletic and the News app as places to play. The game is free on those platforms; the full archive, which goes back to June 12, 2023, is available to All Access and Games subscribers. These are details from the Help Center and may change.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- UNIQUE COOPERATIVE WORD GAME: Write one clue connecting two keywords on each clover leaf. Teammates guess which keyword pair each clue links in this inventive, laugh-out-loud word association game
- CREATIVE PARTY GAME FOR ADULTS: So Clover! challenges players to make unexpected word connections. The more creative your clues, the higher your team scores in this hilarious adult party game
- GREAT FOR WORD GAME FANS: So Clover! takes cooperative word games to the next level with a unique multi-clue clover structure that delivers fresh, surprising, and satisfying creative connections
- FAST, FUN & SOCIAL: Plays in under 30 minutes with 3-6 players ages 10 and up. So Clover! is quick to setup, with no filler, just pure creative energy and highly collaborative family fun from the very first round
- IDEAL GIFT FOR ADULTS & FAMILIES: So Clover! is the party game gift for anyone who loves wordplay and creative thinking. Easy to teach in minutes, endlessly engaging at any family game night
Rank #3
- Two teams race to identify their agents from a 5×5 grid, guided by a spymaster who knows each card’s identity
- Spymasters give one-word clues and a number to link multiple cards, encouraging creative thinking
- Teammates guess words matching the clue while avoiding the other team’s agents, bystanders, and the assassin
- Revealing the assassin ends the game instantly, adding high-stakes tension
- Teams may guess up to the clue number plus one, allowing strategic risks or revisiting old clues
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