Connections Hints

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — March 17, 2026

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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.

ARROW
BALLOON
BIND
HOT WATER
JAM
KEY
KITE
LIGHTNING
PICKLE
PITCH
ROCKET
SCALE
TEA BAG
TONE
WIND
YO-YO
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Themes

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

METAPHORS FOR TROUBLEStraightforward
MUSIC THEORY CONCEPTSModerate
THINGS WITH STRINGSTricky
METAPHORS FOR QUICKNESSDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

METAPHORS FOR TROUBLEStraightforward
THESE PHRASES ALL DESCRIBE BEING IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION+ 3 more…
MUSIC THEORY CONCEPTSModerate
A MUSICIAN WOULD KNOW ALL OF THESE TERMS+ 3 more…
THINGS WITH STRINGSTricky
EACH OF THESE OBJECTS IS ATTACHED TO OR COMES WITH A STRING+ 3 more…
METAPHORS FOR QUICKNESSDevious
THESE ARE ALL USED IN SIMILES MEANING VERY FAST+ 3 more…
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Full solution
METAPHORS FOR TROUBLEStraightforward
BIND,HOT WATER,JAM,PICKLE

BIND, HOT WATER, JAM, and PICKLE are all idiomatic expressions meaning to be in trouble or a difficult predicament (e.g., 'in a bind,' 'in hot water,' 'in a jam,' 'in a pickle')

MUSIC THEORY CONCEPTSModerate
KEY,PITCH,SCALE,TONE

KEY, PITCH, SCALE, and TONE are all fundamental concepts in music theory, referring to musical keys, the frequency of a note, the sequence of notes, and the quality of a sound

THINGS WITH STRINGSTricky
BALLOON,KITE,TEA BAG,YO-YO

A BALLOON, KITE, TEA BAG, and YO-YO all have strings attached to them as a functional part of their design

METAPHORS FOR QUICKNESSDevious
ARROW,LIGHTNING,ROCKET,WIND

ARROW, LIGHTNING, ROCKET, and WIND are all used metaphorically to describe extreme quickness (e.g., 'fast as an arrow,' 'quick as lightning,' 'like a rocket,' 'gone like the wind')

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