Spoiler warning: This guide gives progressively stronger hints and then the complete solution to NYT Connections puzzle No. 284. The puzzle was published on March 21, 2024—not March 21, 2025 or March 21, 2026.
Connections asks you to divide 16 words into four groups of four. You can make up to four mistakes, so look for the category that links four words while watching for tempting red herrings. The general difficulty colors run from yellow, usually the most accessible, to purple, often the most wordplay-heavy. Contemporary coverage of the puzzle identifies this edition as No. 284.
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The 16 words in Connections #284
Here is the full grid before sorting:
POP · EYE · COW · GAG · EAR · YAK · EWE · JAW · DOE · MAR · YAP · BIB · SAT · HEN · MER · GAB
Hints, from lightest to strongest
Stop after any hint if you want to keep solving.
- Yellow hint: One group contains informal words meaning to chat or talk.
- Green hint: One group consists of words for female animals.
- Blue hint: One group has the same spelling forward and backward.
- Purple hint: The final group consists of the beginnings of four planet names.
Answers for NYT Connections #284
The four categories are:
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Chat, informally | GAB, JAW, YAK, YAP |
| Female animals | COW, DOE, EWE, HEN |
| Palindromes | BIB, EYE, GAG, POP |
| Starts of planet names | EAR, MAR, MER, SAT |
Yellow: Chat, informally
GAB, JAW, YAK, YAP
All four can refer to talking or chatting in informal English. To gab is to talk at length; jaw can mean to talk; to yak is to chatter; and to yap can mean to talk noisily or at length.
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Green: Female animals
COW, DOE, EWE, HEN
A cow is an adult female bovine, a doe is a female deer and can also describe females of certain other mammals, an ewe is a female sheep, and a hen is an adult female chicken. “Hen” can also be used for a female bird more generally in some contexts, so this is a group of ordinary animal terms rather than a taxonomically uniform set.
Blue: Palindromes
BIB, EYE, GAG, POP
Each word reads the same from left to right and right to left. Their shared three-letter format makes the pattern fairly approachable, although POP may distract solvers toward music, soda, or sound-related categories.
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Purple: Starts of planet names
EAR, MAR, MER, SAT
These are the opening sequences of Earth, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn:
- EAR → Earth
- MAR → Mars
- MER → Mercury
- SAT → Saturn
This is best described as “starts of planet names,” not “planet abbreviations.” These fragments are not standardized astronomical abbreviations; the category works because each is the beginning of a full planet name. It is also the trickiest group because the entries are incomplete words and can initially suggest unrelated categories.
Why the puzzle can be deceptive
The grid contains several short, flexible words that could plausibly belong to more than one category. POP, for example, can suggest music or soda before it is recognized as a palindrome. The purple group is harder still because EAR, MAR, MER, and SAT are not complete answers on their own. A useful solving habit is to test whether a suspected category accounts for exactly four entries and leaves a coherent remainder rather than committing as soon as three words seem related.
Which March 21 puzzle is this?
This is the archived March 21, 2024 edition, Connections No. 284. The date can cause confusion because the game has a different puzzle number on the same calendar date in later years: March 21, 2025 was No. 649, while March 21, 2026 was No. 1014. If you are looking for this particular answer set, use the puzzle number and year as well as the month and day.
After checking the solution, readers who want another round can play NYT Connections through the New York Times Games offering.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What was the answer to NYT Connections on March 21, 2024?
Connections No. 284 grouped the words into Chat, informally (GAB, JAW, YAK, YAP); Female animals (COW, DOE, EWE, HEN); Palindromes (BIB, EYE, GAG, POP); and Starts of planet names (EAR, MAR, MER, SAT).
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Best Value
- Find hundreds of words in an easy to read format - Some words you'll spot easily, but you'll have to search hard for others.
- A wide range of puzzle topics, including movies, actors, sports, cars, and more!
- Variations on the standard word search puzzles are included for extra challenge.
- Answer key in the back of the book.
- Spiral bound, 192 pages.
What are the planet-name answers in Connections #284?
EAR, MAR, MER, and SAT are the beginnings of Earth, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn. They are word beginnings, not standardized astronomical abbreviations.
What does NYT Connections ask players to do?
Players sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared connection. The game generally allows up to four incorrect guesses.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: NYT Connections No. 284, published March 21, 2024, solved to GAB/JAW/YAK/YAP, COW/DOE/EWE/HEN, BIB/EYE/GAG/POP, and EAR/MAR/MER/SAT.
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