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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteNYT Connections #690 is the puzzle for Thursday, May 1, 2025. Start with the gentle clues below, then open the spoiler section for the four groups and all 16 answers.
Check that you have the right puzzle
The May 1, 2025 board contains these 16 tiles:
POCKET, SHAKE, PURSE, PAN, POT, DOLLY, FUN, PRIZE, TRAVEL, BREAK, BITE, KICK, ZOOM, DROP, REWARD, and TILT.
Hints, from gentle to direct
Gentle clues
- One group is about what a champion might receive.
- One is about ending a habit.
- One involves movements made while filming.
- One group forms phrases for small versions of things.
Stronger clues
- Think of winnings or a competition payout.
- These words can follow the idea of quitting something.
- Each is a verb associated with operating a movie camera.
- Pair each word with “-size” to describe a small format.
Spoiler: the four groups and answers
Published answer guides from TechRadar, Try Hard Guides, and Parade agree on these groupings. The solution is corroborated by those guides; it is not presented here as a direct quote from an official NYT archive.
| Category | Tiles | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|
| WINNINGS | POT, PRIZE, PURSE, REWARD | Each can describe money or something awarded as a result of winning. |
| STOP, AS A HABIT | BREAK, DROP, KICK, SHAKE | These can appear in expressions about giving up a habit, such as “kick the habit.” |
| MOVIE CAMERA VERBS | DOLLY, PAN, TILT, ZOOM | Each names a camera movement or adjustment. |
| WORDS THAT PRECEDE “-SIZE” TO MEAN SMALL | BITE, FUN, POCKET, TRAVEL | They form bite-size, fun-size, pocket-size, and travel-size. |
How to approach this board
The tricky part is recognizing familiar words in less obvious roles. DOLLY, PAN, TILT, and ZOOM are not merely everyday words here; they are camera verbs. BITE, FUN, POCKET, and TRAVEL become size descriptors when joined to “-size.” Spotting those phrase patterns helps separate them from the winnings and habit-stopping groups.
#1 Best Overall
Connections is described by the published guides as a game of sorting 16 words into four groups that share a thread. Those guides report four color-coded difficulty tiers and a limit of up to four mistakes; these mechanics are secondary-source descriptions.
Quick Recap
Rank #2
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