Start with the spoiler-free clues. Reveal the answers only when you've truly given up.
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.
It could be mistaken for a type of snow or a cosmetic, not necessarily a room in a mansion.
It might seem like an artistic activity rather than a room in a house, leading solvers astray.
This obscure chemical element might lead solvers to search for other scientific terms or elements on the board.
These four words are the names of Earth's oceans: Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern. It's a straightforward geography category, the easiest of the puzzle.
From cleaning products to tropical fruit, these items are notorious for their strong, unmistakable odors. Ammonia, body odor (BO), durian, and wet dog all assault the nose in different ways.
Each word pairs with 'room' to denote a specific space in a stately home: billiard room, drawing room, powder room, and reading room. The trick is recognizing that they're all rooms, not just activities.
The two-letter combination PA can stand for each of these: father (an informal term for dad), Pennsylvania (state abbreviation), protactinium (chemical symbol Pa), and public address (PA system). It's a clever wordplay category that links abbreviations, symbols, and shorthand.
a textbook decoy
requires lateral thinking