Connections Hints

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — December 24, 2024

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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid

All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.

BEARS
BEES
BILLS
BYE
CLOSE
DEAR
EASE
GIMME
INTIMATE
JAYS
LIONS
OH MY
PLEASE
TIGERS
TIGHT
USE
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Themes

The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.

“LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!”Straightforward
BELOVED, AS A FRIENDModerate
WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE PLURAL LETTERSTricky
WHEN TRIPLED, HIT SONG TITLESDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

“LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!”Straightforward
THESE FOUR WORDS COMPLETE A FAMOUS FRIGHTENED CHANT FROM OZ+ 3 more…
BELOVED, AS A FRIENDModerate
WORDS MEANING CHERISHED OR DEEPLY CONNECTED, LIKE A BEST FRIEND+ 3 more…
WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE PLURAL LETTERSTricky
SAY THESE WORDS ALOUD AND YOU'LL HEAR LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET+ 3 more…
WHEN TRIPLED, HIT SONG TITLESDevious
REPEAT EACH OF THESE WORDS THREE TIMES AND YOU GET A HIT SONG TITLE+ 3 more…
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Full solution
“LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!”Straightforward
BEARS,LIONS,OH MY,TIGERS

BEARS, LIONS, TIGERS, and OH MY are the exact words from Dorothy's famous fearful chant in The Wizard of Oz: 'Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!'

BELOVED, AS A FRIENDModerate
CLOSE,DEAR,INTIMATE,TIGHT

CLOSE, DEAR, INTIMATE, and TIGHT all describe a beloved or very close friend — someone held near to your heart.

WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE PLURAL LETTERSTricky
BEES,EASE,JAYS,USE

BEES sounds like Bs, EASE sounds like Es, JAYS sounds like Js, and USE sounds like Us — each word is a homophone of a plural letter.

WHEN TRIPLED, HIT SONG TITLESDevious
BILLS,BYE,GIMME,PLEASE

BILLS BILLS BILLS (Destiny's Child), BYE BYE BYE (*NSYNC), GIMME GIMME GIMME (ABBA), and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (Sabrina Carpenter) are all hit songs formed by tripling these words.

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