Spoiler warning: These hints and answers are for Wednesday, May 15, 2024, the date of Connections #339. Start with the four hints below if you want to preserve the challenge, then open the spoiler section for the complete groups.
Spoiler warning: The hints below start gently, but the answer section reveals all four groups for Wednesday, May 15, 2024—Connections #339.
NYT Connections asks you to divide 16 words into four groups of four. The connections may be based on meaning, usage, or wordplay, and several tiles are designed to fit more than one possible group.
Today’s Connections hints for May 15
Here are four clues, from the yellow group’s more accessible connection to the trickier purple group. Try solving before opening the answers.
#1 Best Overall
- Yellow hint: Think of a proposed law or another formal legislative action.
- Green hint: These words describe open land where grasses or similar vegetation grow.
- Blue hint: These words can describe someone who is candid, plainspoken, and not evasive.
- Purple hint: Add one letter to each tile to create the name of a car company.
Spoilers: today’s Connections answers
Still stuck? These are the four completed groups for Connections #339.
Yellow — Bit of legislation
ACT, BILL, MEASURE, RESOLUTION
Each word can refer to a legislative proposal, enactment, or other formal piece of legislation. “Act” and “bill” are especially familiar lawmaking terms, while “measure” and “resolution” can describe formal proposals considered by a legislative body.
Rank #2
Green — Grassland
MEADOW, PLAIN, PRAIRIE, SAVANNA
These are types of open grassy landscapes. Plain is the group’s most effective trap: it can describe a broad, level area of land, but it can also mean straightforward or unembellished—making it look like it belongs with the blue answers.
Blue — Forthright
DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, STRAIGHT
All four can describe a person, statement, or manner that is candid and direct. The overlap between plain and this group is likely to slow down solvers who see “plainspoken” as a possible connection.
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Purple — Car companies minus one letter
AURA, BUCK, DOGE, HODA
The purple group is a spelling transformation rather than a standard category. Insert one letter into each tile and it becomes a car-company name:
| Tile | Add | Car company |
|---|---|---|
| AURA | C | ACURA |
| BUCK | I | BUICK |
| DOGE | D | DODGE |
| HODA | N | HONDA |
BUCK and DOGE may initially suggest money or cryptocurrency, but that is a decoy. The intended connection is the missing-letter car-brand pattern.
Complete answer grid
- Yellow — Bit of legislation: ACT, BILL, MEASURE, RESOLUTION
- Green — Grassland: MEADOW, PLAIN, PRAIRIE, SAVANNA
- Blue — Forthright: DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, STRAIGHT
- Purple — Car companies minus one letter: AURA, BUCK, DOGE, HODA
Want more Connections puzzles?
The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu are also credited with Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay, an official Connections puzzle collection with more than 100 puzzles, including exclusive puzzles and variations. The publisher lists the hardcover under ISBN 9798893312607 and gives an October 27, 2026 publication date. It is a separate collection, not a book containing this May 15, 2024 daily puzzle.
For another challenge, return for the next daily Connections hints and answers—or play more official NYT Games puzzles and test whether you can identify the misleading overlaps before committing to a group.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the purple group in Connections #339?
The purple group is car companies with one letter added: AURA becomes Acura, BUCK becomes Buick, DOGE becomes Dodge, and HODA becomes Honda.
Which May 15 Connections puzzle do these answers cover?
The date refers to Wednesday, May 15, 2024, which was Connections puzzle #339. May 15, 2026 was not a Wednesday.
The Bottom Line
The answers for Wednesday, May 15, 2024, are ACT, BILL, MEASURE, RESOLUTION; MEADOW, PLAIN, PRAIRIE, SAVANNA; DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, STRAIGHT; and AURA, BUCK, DOGE, HODA. The purple tiles become Acura, Buick, Dodge, and Honda when one letter is added.
Quick Recap
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