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Hints for Connections #614
Each hint points toward one category without giving away all four words.
- Yellow: Too much affection.
- Green: Snakey behavior.
- Blue: They’re shook.
- Purple: Geographical soundalikes.
The board contained: SURPRISE, HUMOR, SEE, STRAIGHT, BABY, RATTLE, BOO, CREAK, HISS, BAE, GOTCHA, PAMPER, SHED, GUESS WHO, INDULGE and SLITHER.
Spoilers: the four answers
The following table reveals every category and its four members.
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| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | MOLLYCODDLE | BABY, HUMOR, INDULGE, PAMPER |
| Green | THINGS A RATTLESNAKE DOES | HISS, RATTLE, SHED, SLITHER |
| Blue | WORDS SAID TO AN UNSUSPECTING PERSON | BOO, GOTCHA, GUESS WHO, SURPRISE |
| Purple | HOMOPHONES OF BODIES OF WATER | BAE, CREAK, SEE, STRAIGHT |
Why each group works
Yellow: MOLLYCODDLE
To mollycoddle someone is to treat them with excessive care or indulgence. You can baby, humor, indulge or pamper a person in that overprotective sense.
Green: THINGS A RATTLESNAKE DOES
These are literal snake actions: a rattlesnake can hiss, rattle its tail, shed its skin and slither.
Rank #2
Blue: WORDS SAID TO AN UNSUSPECTING PERSON
Boo, gotcha, guess who and surprise are all short reveal or ambush phrases addressed to someone who does not expect them.
Purple: HOMOPHONES OF BODIES OF WATER
This is the wordplay group. BAE sounds like bay; CREAK sounds like creek; SEE sounds like sea; and STRAIGHT sounds like strait. The entries are sound-alikes, not the geographic terms themselves.
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The New York Times says Connections is free to play without registering. You can access it through the NYT Games app, the official Connections game website, nytimes.com/theathletic or the News app. The daily puzzle is released at midnight in the player’s local timezone.
For historical games such as #614, the NYT Help Center says the archive reaches back to June 12, 2023 for All Access and Games subscribers. Archive play can affect some statistics, but it does not add to streaks. Subscription and archive availability can change, so check the current Help Center terms if an older puzzle is locked.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the purple group is the trap
Most of the board initially suggests ordinary actions or expressions. The purple set only becomes visible when you say the words aloud and recognize the spellings of bay, creek, sea and strait. That sound-based mechanism is why see and straight can look unrelated until the final category is identified.
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