NYT Connections response for today, September 17, 2024

If you're looking for the answer to the Connections question for Tuesday, September 17, 2024, read on – I'll give you some hints, tips and strategies, and finally the solutions for all four categories. Along the way, I'll explain the meaning of the more difficult words and we'll learn how it all fits together. Warning, there are spoilers for NYT Connections No. 464 from September 17th below! Read on if you want some clues (and then the answer) about today's Connections game.

If you want to easily access our connections tips every day, Bookmark this page. You can also find our previous clues there if you want to know what you missed in a previous puzzle.

Below I'll give you some indirect clues about today's Connections answers. And further down the page I'll reveal the topics and answers. Scroll slowly and take only the clues you need!

Clues to the topics in today's Connections Puzzle

Here are some spoiler-free clues about the groups in today's Connections:

• Yellow Category – What you can do to prepare for something that makes you nervous.

• Green category – you buy them in pairs.

• Blue category – words you will see when watching CSPAN.

• Purple category – If you say it out loud, someone might think you are talking to them.

WARNING: Spoilers for today’s connections puzzle follow!

We'll reveal some of the answers in a moment. Scroll slowly if you don't want to give away everything. (The full solution is a little further down.)

A note on the tricky parts

MIC, SPEAKER and AMP do not belong together.

CHAIRMANSHIP is a position of power.

What categories are there in today’s connections?

DOUBLE CAUTION: THE SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND BELOW

Want to know the answers to today's Connections puzzle? I'll reveal them all below.

What are the yellow words in today's connections?

The yellow grouping is considered the simplest. The theme for today's yellow group is “GET EXCITED, WITH “UP”” and the words are: AMP, FIRE, HYPE, PSYCH.

What do the green words in today's connections mean?

The green grouping is probably the second easiest. The topic for today's green category is TYPES OF SHOES and the words are: FLAT, MULE, PUMP, SLIDE.

What do the blue words mean in today's connections?

The blue grouping is the second most difficult. The topic for today's blue category is LEGISLATIVE ROLES and the words are: CHAIRMAN, LEADER, SPOKESMAN, WHIP.

What are the purple words in today's connections?

The purple grouping is considered the most difficult. The topic of today's purple category is NAME HOMOPHONES and the words are: DUG, MATTE, MIC, PEAT.

How I solved today's connections

The first thing I notice are four name homophones: PEAT, MIC, DUG and MATTE. (Pete, Mike, Doug, Matt.) 🟪

Next, I believe WHIP, SPEAKER, CHAIR, and LEADER are all positions in Congress. 🟦 Yay.

OK, it looks like there is also a shoe category with MULE, SLIDE, PUMP and FLAT. 🟩

And finally we have FIRE, PSYCH, HYPE and AMP. Oh, these are all words that come from “up” and mean to get someone excited or ready for something. 🟨

That was quick for me today!

Connections
Puzzle #464
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How to play Connections

I have a full How to play Connectionsbut here is a refresher of the rules:

First, find the Connections game either on the New York Times website or in their games app (formerly the Crossword app). You'll see a game board with 16 tiles, each with a word or phrase. Your task is to select a group of four tiles that have something in common. Often they're all the same type (for example: RAIN, SNOW, HAIL and SNOW are all types of wet weather), but sometimes there are word games (for example: BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN and WISH are all types of Lists: bucket list, guest list, etc.).

Select four items and click the submit button. If you guessed correctly, the category and color will be revealed. (Yellow is easiest, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess was wrong, you'll have the option to try again.

You win if you identify all four groups correctly, but if you make four mistakes before you finish, the game is over and the answers are revealed.

How to gain connections

The most important thing to know about winning Connections is that the groupings are tricky. Expect overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle appeared to contain six breakfast foods: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. But BACON turned out to be part of a group of painters along with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, and EGG was in a group of things that come by the dozen (along with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don't click submit until you've confirmed that your group of four includes only these four things.

If you get stuck, you can also look at the words that NO Connection to the others. If the only thing that comes to mind when you think of WHISTLER is the painting nicknamed “Whistler's Mother,” you may be on the right track. Once I had that problem solved, I ended up Googling whether there was a painter named Close, because Close didn't fit any of the obvious themes either.

Of course, another way to win if you get stuck is to read a few helpful hints – that's why we share these clues every day. Check back tomorrow to read the next puzzle!