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 looks like a straightforward food word, possibly with BUTTER and SALT, but it’s actually an S-plus-wood trick.
Salt is a common seasoning; solvers might group it with BUTTER, not realizing it's a slang term for a sailor.
Butter could be part of a food category, but it belongs with other iconic yellow items.
Jack is a common name and card rank, easily mistaken for a non-nautical grouping, though it’s sailor slang.
These four words all describe items famously associated with the color yellow, from food to pop culture icons. The group is straightforward but might be overlooked among more abstract categories.
These are standard terms from the game of billiards or pool, including actions and equipment. It's a tight thematic set that solvers who have played will spot quickly.
These are informal or old-fashioned nicknames for a sailor, like 'salt' or 'tar.' The group draws on nautical lore and might stump those unfamiliar with seafaring slang.
Each word is formed by adding an 'S' to the beginning of a type of wood: ash, oak, pine, and teak become sash, soak, spine, and steak. This clever wordplay is tough to see until you think to remove the first letter.
a textbook decoy
requires lateral thinking
