Start with the spoiler-free hints. Go deeper only when you need to. Reveal answers on your own terms.
A direction for each group — no names given.
What kind of thinking each group asks for.
Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.
Every Connections board plants a few decoys. Here are today’s, and why they pull you the wrong way.
Could be mistaken for a profession or something in the 'THINGS BABIES DO' category, like seeing a doctor.
Sounds like a candy, possibly leading solvers to think of sweets, but it is a verb meaning to manipulate.
Seems unrelated to fish, but is actually a fish (salmon) minus one letter.
BABBLE, CRY, NURSE, and TEETHE are all typical activities performed by infants. The category is straightforward and familiar.
ALTER, COOK, DOCTOR, and FUDGE all share a meaning of changing something dishonestly or manipulating facts. This group uses verbs with secondary deceptive connotations.
BLUBBER, DEENIE, FOREVER, and SUPERFUDGE are all titles of books by Judy Blume, known for her young adult and children's literature. Recognition of her work is key.
FOUNDER (flounder), SALON (salmon), SURGEON (sturgeon), and TROT (trout) are each fish name has one letter removed. This wordplay category requires sound-alike spelling tricks.
a textbook decoy
requires lateral thinking
Solving the easiest group first reshapes how you read the entire board.
The editors reuse certain misdirection patterns. Learning to spot them saves guesses.
Purple is never what it first appears to be. Six structural patterns explain most of them.
Film titles, band names, and celebrity surnames hide in plain sight.
