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The 16 words in Connections #709
LEDGER, DAY, BROWN, HORSE, WATER, HARDY, LOG, MURPHY, BALE, DREW, CANOPY, RECORD, TROUGH, REGISTER, HOLMES, PITCHFORK.
Hints for each category
- Yellow: Written down.
- Green: Found in the same farm building.
- Blue: Family-friendly sleuths.
- Purple: Add a word you sleep on.
Category names
- Yellow: ACCOUNT BOOK
- Green: SEEN IN A BARN
- Blue: DETECTIVES OF KID-LIT
- Purple: WORDS BEFORE “BED”
Answers for Connections #709
Spoilers below: the complete groups and their explanations follow.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | ACCOUNT BOOK | LEDGER, LOG, RECORD, REGISTER |
| Green | SEEN IN A BARN | BALE, HORSE, PITCHFORK, TROUGH |
| Blue | DETECTIVES OF KID-LIT | BROWN, DREW, HARDY, HOLMES |
| Purple | WORDS BEFORE “BED” | CANOPY, DAY, MURPHY, WATER |
Yellow: ACCOUNT BOOK
LEDGER, LOG, RECORD, and REGISTER can each refer to a book or record where information is written down.
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Green: SEEN IN A BARN
BALE, HORSE, PITCHFORK, and TROUGH are things found in a barn.
Blue: DETECTIVES OF KID-LIT
BROWN, DREW, HARDY, and HOLMES point to Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Sherlock Holmes.
Purple: WORDS BEFORE “BED”
CANOPY, DAY, MURPHY, and WATER each form a familiar compound when followed by “bed”: canopy bed, daybed, Murphy bed, and waterbed.
Why the words can be misleading
Several words can plausibly suggest more than one theme, which is part of the challenge. The New York Times Help Center explains that Connections gives players 16 words to sort into four groups of four, with Yellow the easiest color and Purple the trickiest. It says each puzzle has one solution and is designed so words may seem to fit multiple categories. Read the Connections rules and help.
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How to play this archived puzzle
The NYT says the daily game releases at midnight in the player’s timezone. Its archive includes puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023, and the current Help Center says archive access is available to Games and All Access subscribers. Archived play can affect some statistics but not streaks, and a completed archived puzzle cannot be replayed. Access terms can change; check the official Help Center for current details.
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