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Spoiler warning: This page gives progressively stronger hints and then the complete solution for the New York Times Connections puzzle published on Sunday, November 17, 2024. It was Connections game #525, not the current daily puzzle.
The trickiest entries were SLINKY, which works as an adjective rather than the name of the toy, and DUBBING, which refers to the ceremonial act of knighting—not replacing a film’s audio track.
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How Connections works
Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four. Each group shares a common connection, with the categories typically arranged from yellow, the most straightforward, through green and blue to purple, the most wordplay-heavy. You can make up to four mistakes; an incorrect group costs one life, and the game ends after the fourth mistake.
Hints for the November 17, 2024 Connections puzzle
Try these in order. Stop when you have enough information to finish the grid yourself.
#1 Best Overall
- Yellow: Think of organizations or groups formed around a shared purpose.
- Green: These words can describe something tight or close-fitting.
- Blue: Think of situations in which a person might lower themselves onto one or both knees.
- Purple: Consider different meanings or uses of an apostrophe.
The 16 words
APOLOGY QUOTATION ASSOCIATION CONTRACTION CLINGY UNION POSSESSIVE SLINKY PROPOSAL SNUG PRAYER LEAGUE GUILD DUBBING FOOT SLEEK
November 17 Connections answers
Yellow: ALLIANCE
ASSOCIATION, GUILD, LEAGUE, UNION
Each of these words can describe an organized group formed around shared interests, work, membership or purpose. “Association” is the broadest of the four, while a guild, league or union usually suggests a more specific kind of membership organization.
Rank #2
Green: CLOSE-FITTING
CLINGY, SLEEK, SLINKY, SNUG
These words can describe something that fits closely or follows the body or another surface. SLINKY is the deliberate trap: the word may immediately bring the spring-shaped toy to mind, but here it is being used as an adjective for something close-fitting or closely following a surface.
Blue: OCCASIONS WHEN ONE MIGHT KNEEL
APOLOGY, DUBBING, PRAYER, PROPOSAL
A person might kneel while making a dramatic apology, praying or proposing marriage. Dubbing is the less familiar entry. In a ceremonial dubbing—the act of conferring knighthood—the recipient traditionally kneels while being touched with a sword. It does not refer to dubbing or replacing dialogue in a movie or television program.
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CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTATION
An apostrophe can indicate omitted letters in a contraction, ownership in a possessive, or a measurement in feet when the apostrophe-like prime mark is used. Quotation points to the related use of an apostrophe-shaped mark as a single quotation mark. This is the puzzle’s wordplay-heavy group, because the four words describe different things the mark may signal rather than one everyday subject.
Complete grouping
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | ALLIANCE | ASSOCIATION, GUILD, LEAGUE, UNION |
| Green | CLOSE-FITTING | CLINGY, SLEEK, SLINKY, SNUG |
| Blue | OCCASIONS WHEN ONE MIGHT KNEEL | APOLOGY, DUBBING, PRAYER, PROPOSAL |
| Purple | WHAT AN APOSTROPHE MIGHT INDICATE | CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTATION |
Why this grid was difficult
The grid put several words into overlapping semantic territory. ASSOCIATION, LEAGUE and UNION are relatively recognizable group or organization terms, but the presence of GUILD makes the yellow set easier to overlook if you are searching for a narrower type of alliance.
SLINKY encourages an object-based interpretation, while DUBBING sounds strongly connected to audio production. Those surface meanings conceal the adjectival and ceremonial meanings required by the green and blue groups. The purple category then shifts from ordinary word meanings to punctuation and typography, with FOOT standing for the measurement mark and QUOTATION referring to the quotation-mark use.
More puzzle reading
For a broader look at puzzle history and formats—including crosswords, jigsaws, riddles and mazes—A.J. Jacobs’s The Puzzler is a more general choice. It is not a Connections answer book, but it may appeal to readers interested in why different kinds of puzzles work.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What was the NYT Connections answer for Sunday, November 17, 2024?
The four categories were ALLIANCE; CLOSE-FITTING; OCCASIONS WHEN ONE MIGHT KNEEL; and WHAT AN APOSTROPHE MIGHT INDICATE.
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 was the hardest category in Connections game #525?
The purple category, WHAT AN APOSTROPHE MIGHT INDICATE, was the most wordplay-heavy. Its answers were CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE and QUOTATION.
What does DUBBING mean in this Connections puzzle?
It refers to ceremonial dubbing, or knighting. Traditionally, the person being knighted kneels during the ceremony; the word does not refer to replacing spoken audio in a film.
The Bottom Line
The November 17, 2024 Connections solution was: ASSOCIATION, GUILD, LEAGUE, UNION for ALLIANCE; CLINGY, SLEEK, SLINKY, SNUG for CLOSE-FITTING; APOLOGY, DUBBING, PRAYER, PROPOSAL for occasions when one might kneel; and CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTATION for what an apostrophe might indicate.
Quick Recap
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