Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: MING, BILLY, JACK, HAN, BUCK, RAM, SINGLE, PUNCH, STAG, FREE, KICK, SONG, TANG, ZEST, ZING, SOLO Potential categories I can see: 1. **Chinese Dynasties**: MING, HAN, TANG, SONG - These are all famous Chinese dynasties. This seems like a strong connection. 2. **Words meaning "alone/individual"**: SOLO, SINGLE, STAG, FREE - These could all relate to being alone or individual. "Stag" as in stag party (going alone), SOLO and SINGLE are clear, FREE could mean unattached. 3. **Words that can follow "BILLY"**: BILLY GOAT, BILLY JACK, BILLY CLUB... Let me reconsider. 4. **Energy/Pep words**: ZING, ZEST, PUNCH, KICK - These all can mean energy, liveliness, or pep. "That has a lot of zing/zest/punch/kick to it" 5. **Male animals**: BUCK (male deer), RAM (male sheep), STAG (male deer), BILLY (male goat) - This is a very strong connection! Let me reconsider: - Chinese Dynasties: MING, HAN, TANG, SONG - Very confident about this - Male animals: BUCK, RAM, STAG, BILLY - Very confident about this - Words meaning energy/flavor: ZING, ZEST, PUNCH, KICK - Confident - Words meaning alone: SOLO, SINGLE, FREE, JACK - Less certain, but JACK could be "on one's own" I'll start with the Chinese dynasties as that seems most certain.

Great! The Chinese dynasties were correct. Now I have 12 words left: BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM, SINGLE, PUNCH, STAG, FREE, KICK, SOLO, ZING, ZEST Let me reconsider the remaining categories: 1. **Male animals**: BUCK (male deer), RAM (male sheep), STAG (male deer), BILLY (male goat) - This is a very strong connection and I'm highly confident about this one. 2. **Words meaning energy/pep/flavor**: ZING, ZEST, PUNCH, KICK - These all describe liveliness, energy, or spiciness. "This drink has a lot of zing/zest/punch/kick" 3. **Words meaning alone/solo**: SOLO, SINGLE, FREE, JACK - This is the weakest group. SOLO and SINGLE clearly mean alone, FREE could mean unattached, but JACK is uncertain here. Wait, let me reconsider other possibilities: - Could JACK, BUCK, SINGLE be related to money? A BUCK is slang for dollar, but JACK isn't commonly money... - Could there be a "party" theme? STAG party, PUNCH (party drink), but this seems weak. I'm most confident about the male animals group: BUCK, RAM, STAG, BILLY Let me go with that.

Hmm, that's surprising. Let me reconsider. I was very confident about BUCK, RAM, STAG, BILLY as male animals. Remaining words: BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM, SINGLE, PUNCH, STAG, FREE, KICK, SOLO, ZING, ZEST Let me think of other connections: 1. Could some of these be types of cocktails or drinks? - PUNCH (drink) - JACK (Jack and Coke, Jack Daniels) - STAG (not a common drink) - SOLO (not a drink I know of) - FREE (not a drink) - BUCK (not typically a drink name) - RAM (not a drink) 2. Could these relate to card games or playing cards? - JACK (playing card) - SINGLE (a type of hand?) - SOLO (a card game) - BUCK (pass the buck?) 3. Let me think about words that can come before a common word: - ___ GOAT: BILLY GOAT, STAG... no - ___ PARTY: STAG PARTY, PUNCH PARTY... no 4. What about words meaning "pep" or "energy" or "spice": - ZING, ZEST, KICK, PUNCH - these all mean liveliness or energy 5. Words meaning alone or individual: - SOLO, SINGLE, STAG, FREE 6. Wait - could there be a basketball connection? - BUCK (Milwaukee Bucks) - RAM (Los Angeles Rams - but that's football) - STAG (not a team) Let me try the "energy/pep" category: ZING, ZEST, KICK, PUNCH

Excellent! So ZING, ZEST, KICK, PUNCH were all words meaning energy/pep/spice. Now I have 8 words left: BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM, SINGLE, STAG, FREE, SOLO I was wrong about BUCK, RAM, STAG, BILLY being male animals. Let me reconsider. Possibilities: 1. **Words meaning alone/individual**: SOLO, SINGLE, STAG, FREE - SOLO = alone - SINGLE = alone/unmarried - STAG = going to an event alone (stag party, going stag) - FREE = unattached/single 2. This leaves: BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM What could connect BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM? - Could they all be verbs? RAM (to ram into), BUCK (to buck against), JACK (to jack up) - Could they be first names? BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM (less common but possible) - Could they relate to money? BUCK (slang for dollar), JACK (to steal?), but RAM and BILLY don't fit - Could they precede a common word? - ___KNIFE: JACK KNIFE, BUCK KNIFE... but not BILLY KNIFE or RAM KNIFE - Could they all go before "UP"? JACK UP, BUCK UP, RAM UP... not really BILLY UP Wait, let me think about this differently. If BUCK, RAM, STAG aren't all male animals together, maybe the pattern is different. Could SOLO, SINGLE, STAG, FREE all mean "alone" or "unaccompanied"? This seems very likely. Let me go with that group.

Perfect! So SOLO, SINGLE, STAG, FREE were all words meaning alone/unaccompanied. Now I have the final 4 words left: BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM These must form the last category. Let me think about what connects them: 1. They could all be male animals: - BILLY (male goat - billy goat) - JACK (male donkey - jackass) - BUCK (male deer/rabbit) - RAM (male sheep) But I already tried this and it was wrong when combined with STAG. Wait, no - I tried BUCK, RAM, STAG, BILLY and that was incorrect. But STAG is now gone (it was in the "alone" category). So maybe BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM ARE the male animals! 2. Could they all be verbs? - RAM (to ram) - BUCK (to buck/resist) - JACK (to jack up) - BILLY (to billy? Not really a verb) 3. Could they be types of clubs or weapons? - BILLY (billy club) - JACK (blackjack) - RAM (battering ram) - BUCK (buck knife?) 4. First names - BILLY, JACK, BUCK, RAM - all can be names Since these are the last 4, they must be the answer. The most likely connection is male animals, especially now that STAG (which was also a male deer like BUCK) has been removed.

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Available words: ABOUT-FACE, BACKPEDAL, SHOEHORN, NEIGHBORHOOD, STREET, KANGAROO, JAM, PINWHEEL, STUFF, FLIP-FLOP, RAINBOW, FLAG, VANE, WIND CHIME, RENEGE, WEDGE Let me look for potential categories: 1. **Things that change direction/reverse position:** - ABOUT-FACE (military turn, reversal of opinion) - BACKPEDAL (reverse position) - FLIP-FLOP (change position) - RENEGE (go back on promise) These all relate to reversing or changing one's position/opinion. 2. **Things that move in wind:** - PINWHEEL (spins in wind) - FLAG (waves in wind) - VANE (weather vane, moves with wind) - WIND CHIME (moves/sounds in wind) These are all objects that respond to wind. 3. **Things you can do with force/pressure:** - SHOEHORN (force something into a tight space) - JAM (force/pack tightly) - STUFF (pack/fill tightly) - WEDGE (force between things) These all mean to force something into a space. 4. **Possible street/neighborhood related:** - NEIGHBORHOOD - STREET But I only see 2 clear ones here... Let me reconsider. Could KANGAROO and RAINBOW fit anywhere? - KANGAROO COURT (mock court) - RAINBOW... RAINBOW FLAG? Wait, could there be compound words or phrases? - KANGAROO COURT - KANGAROO POCKET - RAINBOW FLAG - STREET... something Actually, let me focus on the clearest category first. The "things that move in wind" seems very solid: PINWHEEL, FLAG, VANE, WIND CHIME This seems like a strong, concrete category.

Great! Now I have 12 words left: ABOUT-FACE, BACKPEDAL, SHOEHORN, NEIGHBORHOOD, STREET, KANGAROO, JAM, STUFF, FLIP-FLOP, RAINBOW, RENEGE, WEDGE Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Words meaning to reverse position/change stance:** - ABOUT-FACE (complete reversal) - BACKPEDAL (reverse position) - FLIP-FLOP (change position back and forth) - RENEGE (go back on a promise) These all mean to reverse or go back on something. 2. **Words meaning to force into a tight space:** - SHOEHORN (force into tight space) - JAM (pack tightly) - STUFF (pack/fill) - WEDGE (force between things) These all involve forcing something into a space. 3. **Remaining words:** - NEIGHBORHOOD - STREET - KANGAROO - RAINBOW Could these four be related? Let me think... - NEIGHBORHOOD watch - STREET... - KANGAROO court - RAINBOW coalition Or could they be types of something? Or part of compound words with a common word? Actually, thinking about phrases: - NEIGHBORHOOD watch/association - STREET cred/smarts - KANGAROO court - RAINBOW coalition/flag I think the reversal/change position category is very strong. Let me go with that.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words left: SHOEHORN, NEIGHBORHOOD, STREET, KANGAROO, JAM, STUFF, RAINBOW, WEDGE I previously identified: 1. **Words meaning to force into a tight space:** - SHOEHORN (force into tight space) - JAM (pack tightly) - STUFF (pack/fill) - WEDGE (force between things) 2. **Remaining words:** - NEIGHBORHOOD - STREET - KANGAROO - RAINBOW Let me verify the "force into space" category makes sense: - SHOEHORN: Yes, literally forcing your foot into a shoe, or figuratively forcing something to fit - JAM: Yes, to jam something in means to force it into a tight space - STUFF: Yes, to stuff something means to pack it tightly - WEDGE: Yes, to wedge something means to force it between or into a tight space This seems very solid. That would leave: NEIGHBORHOOD, STREET, KANGAROO, RAINBOW What could connect these four? - Could they all precede a common word? - NEIGHBORHOOD + ? (watch, association) - STREET + ? (smarts, cred, food) - KANGAROO + ? (court, pocket) - RAINBOW + ? (flag, coalition) Or could they be types of something specific? Let me think harder... These seem like an odd group but they must connect somehow. I'll go with the force/pack category first as it seems most solid.

Perfect! Now I'm left with the final 4 words: NEIGHBORHOOD, STREET, KANGAROO, RAINBOW These must form the last category. Let me figure out what connects them. Possible connections: 1. They could all precede or follow a common word 2. They could all be types of something 3. They could all be part of specific phrases or compound words Let me think about what word could follow all of these: - NEIGHBORHOOD + ? - STREET + ? - KANGAROO + ? - RAINBOW + ? What about words that can precede these? - ? + NEIGHBORHOOD - ? + STREET - ? + KANGAROO - ? + RAINBOW Hmm, what if they can all precede "COURT"? - NEIGHBORHOOD... no, not really - STREET... no - KANGAROO COURT - yes! - RAINBOW... no What about "FOOD"? - NEIGHBORHOOD... no - STREET FOOD - yes! - KANGAROO... no - RAINBOW... no Could they all be things that have "pockets"? - NEIGHBORHOOD pocket? No - STREET... no - KANGAROO pocket - yes! - RAINBOW... no Wait, what if they can all precede "WATCH"? - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH - yes! - STREET... no - KANGAROO... no - RAINBOW... no Since these are the last 4 words, they MUST be the answer regardless of what I can identify as the connection. The game requires them to connect somehow.

Let me analyze the available words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Available words: MOUSE, HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, EARRING, HERRING, HOUSE, PROFANITY, NECKLACE, SWEARING, OUROBOROS, MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, STIRRING, EXPLETIVES, FOUR-LETTER WORDS, MYSTERY Let me look for potential categories: 1. **Words related to cursing/profanity:** - PROFANITY, SWEARING, EXPLETIVES, FOUR-LETTER WORDS These all relate to curse words or offensive language. This seems like a very strong connection. 2. **Words ending in -ING that are anagrams or contain similar patterns:** - EARRING, HERRING, STIRRING These all end in -RING. Let me think about this more... - EARRING (contains EAR) - HERRING (a fish) - STIRRING (mixing) Wait, what about other -ING words? SWEARING also ends in -ING, but I think it belongs to the profanity group. 3. **Clothing/accessories:** - EARRING, NECKLACE, MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST These could all be items of clothing or accessories you wear. 4. **Words that might contain or relate to "RED":** - HERRING (red herring - a misleading clue) - Let me think about this differently... 5. **Anagram possibilities:** - MOUSE, HOUSE - both end in OUSE - EARRING, HERRING, STIRRING - all end in RRING 6. **Red herring pattern:** Looking at compound words or phrases: - RED HERRING (misleading clue) - Could there be other colors + words? 7. **Mystery/detective fiction related:** - MYSTERY, HERRING (red herring) Let me reconsider clothing items that might be considered "douchey" or stereotypical: - MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST - these seem oddly specific - Could these be examples of something? Wait, let me think about NYT Connections patterns. Sometimes there are tricky wordplay categories. Looking at: EARRING, HERRING, STIRRING - these all contain "RING" within them And what else could contain RING? Let me focus on my strongest connection first: **PROFANITY, SWEARING, EXPLETIVES, FOUR-LETTER WORDS** - all synonyms for cursing/curse words This seems very solid to me.

Great! Now let me look at the remaining words: MOUSE, HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, EARRING, HERRING, HOUSE, NECKLACE, OUROBOROS, MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, STIRRING, MYSTERY Let me reconsider the patterns: 1. **Words ending in -RING or containing RING:** - EARRING, HERRING, STIRRING - Need one more... what else could have RING? - Wait, could OUROBOROS work? No, that's the snake eating its tail symbol. 2. **Clothing/Accessories:** - EARRING, NECKLACE, MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST - This could work as "things you wear" 3. **Words ending in -OUSE:** - MOUSE, HOUSE - Need more for this pattern 4. **Things that are circular/loops:** - EARRING (circle shape) - NECKLACE (circle shape) - OUROBOROS (snake in a circle eating its tail) - Need one more circular thing... 5. **RED ___ (phrases):** - RED HERRING (misleading clue) - RED HOUSE (Jimi Hendrix song? Or just a house that's red?) - RED CHRISTMAS (not a common phrase) 6. **Anagrams or word patterns:** - EARRING, HERRING, STIRRING all have similar endings - Let me think what the fourth could be... 7. **Mystery/Detective related:** - MYSTERY, HERRING (red herring) Let me think about MESH SHIRT and PLEATHER VEST - these are very specific items. In pop culture, these might be associated with a certain style or stereotype. Could they be "douchebag starter pack" items or something similar? Actually, let me reconsider: MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, EARRING (for men?), NECKLACE (for men?) - could these be stereotypical "bro" or "douchey guy" fashion items? Or wait - could the category be things that form circles/loops? - EARRING (circular) - NECKLACE (circular) - OUROBOROS (circular - snake eating its tail) - STIRRING (circular motion?) Let me go with the circular/loop connection:

Okay, that didn't work. Let me reconsider the remaining words: MOUSE, HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, EARRING, HERRING, HOUSE, NECKLACE, OUROBOROS, MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, STIRRING, MYSTERY Let me think about different patterns: 1. **RED + word combinations:** - RED HERRING (famous phrase - misleading clue) - RED HOUSE (could be a thing) - RED MOUSE (not common) - RED CHRISTMAS (not standard) 2. **Words that can follow a color:** Let me think systematically about what color could go before these: - HERRING - RED HERRING - HOUSE - RED HOUSE, WHITE HOUSE, GREEN HOUSE - MOUSE - MICKEY MOUSE, but not color+mouse typically - CHRISTMAS - WHITE CHRISTMAS! WHITE + word: - WHITE HOUSE - WHITE CHRISTMAS - WHITE MOUSE (albino mouse) - WHITE ELEPHANT? No, elephant isn't here. Hmm, what about: - RED HERRING - WHITE HOUSE - WHITE CHRISTMAS - Need one more... 3. **Anagram or letter pattern:** - EARRING, HERRING, STIRRING - all end in RRING - What could be the fourth? - STARRING? No, that's not here. - SCARRING? Not here either. 4. **___ RING words:** - EARRING (EAR + RING) - HERRING (HER + RING) - STIRRING (STIR + RING) - Could there be another ___RING word? - What about words that sound like they have RING but don't? Actually, wait. Let me think about this differently: - EARRING = EAR + RING - HERRING = HER + RING - Could there be other words where RING is added? - STIRRING = STIR + RING What if the pattern is words that are BASE + RING? Looking for other potential -RING words in the list... I don't see obvious ones. Let me try the color theory more carefully: - RED HERRING (very common phrase) - WHITE HOUSE (very common phrase) - WHITE CHRISTMAS (famous song/movie) - HISTAMINE - ANTI-HISTAMINE? No... What about MYSTERY? - MYSTERY MOUSE? No. - MYSTERY HOUSE? Maybe, but not as famous. Let me try: RED HERRING, WHITE HOUSE, WHITE CHRISTMAS... and what else? - GREEN HOUSE (greenhouse)? No, HOUSE is already used for WHITE HOUSE - MOUSE - WHITE MOUSE, HOUSE MOUSE? Actually, could it be: - HERRING (RED HERRING) - HOUSE (WHITE HOUSE) - CHRISTMAS (WHITE CHRISTMAS) - MYSTERY (MYSTERY ___?) Or what if it's ___HOUSE combinations? - MOUSE (MICKEY MOUSE? Or just MOUSE?) - HOUSE - No, this doesn't work. Let me try the MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST angle again. These are specific clothing items. Could they be part of a "Guy Fieri starter pack" or some cultural reference? MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, EARRING, NECKLACE - "douchey accessories"? Actually, let me try: HERRING, HOUSE, CHRISTMAS, MOUSE - can all be preceded by a color - RED HERRING - WHITE HOUSE - WHITE CHRISTMAS - MOUSE - hmm, MICKEY MOUSE (not a color) Wait - could it be compound words or phrases with specific colors? Let me try: HERRING, HOUSE, CHRISTMAS, and one more that can be preceded by WHITE or RED? Actually: MYSTERY HOUSE (Winchester Mystery House!) - RED HERRING - WHITE HOUSE - WHITE CHRISTMAS - MYSTERY HOUSE Let me try this!

Okay, I need to be more careful. Let me reconsider: Remaining words: MOUSE, HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, EARRING, HERRING, HOUSE, NECKLACE, OUROBOROS, MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, STIRRING, MYSTERY Let me think more carefully about word patterns and anagrams: 1. **Anagram analysis:** - EARRING has letters: E-A-R-R-I-N-G - HERRING has letters: H-E-R-R-I-N-G - STIRRING has letters: S-T-I-R-R-I-N-G These all end in -RRING. What else could fit? 2. **Let me think about HISTAMINE:** - HISTAMINE is a chemical compound - ANTI-histamine - Could there be ANTI- words? MOUSE (antimouse?), no... 3. **OUROBOROS** - this is the symbol of a snake eating its own tail, representing infinity/cycles 4. **Looking for homophones or sound-alikes:** - MOUSE sounds like MOOSE? No MOOSE here. - HOUSE sounds like... HOSE? - CHRISTMAS sounds like... 5. **Thinking about what can come AFTER these words:** - MOUSE PAD, MOUSE TRAP - HOUSE HOLD, HOUSE KEEPING - CHRISTMAS TREE, CHRISTMAS EVE - MYSTERY NOVEL, MYSTERY MEAT 6. **What about things that contain hidden words:** - HISTAMINE contains... HIS, HIST, AMINE, STAMIN... - CHRISTMAS contains... CHRIST, MAS, HIST... - Wait! Both contain HIST! Let me check: - HISTAMINE - contains HIST - CHRISTMAS - contains HIST (CHRISTmas) - What else contains HIST? - HISTORY? Not here. Hmm, this might not be it. 7. **Let me reconsider the -RING pattern more carefully:** Could the category be words where you can remove letters to get RING? - EARRING → remove EAR → RING - HERRING → remove HER → RING - STIRRING → remove STIR → RING - What's the fourth? Looking at remaining words... Could CHRISTMAS have RING somehow? No. Could NECKLACE? No. Wait, what about words where something + RING makes the word? - EAR + RING = EARRING - HER + RING = HERRING (wait, is this even right? HERRING is a fish...) - STIR + RING = STIRRING Actually, HERRING isn't HER + RING, it's just a fish name. So this pattern might not work. 8. **Guy Fieri / Ed Hardy / "bro" culture reference:** MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST - these are very specific Could EARRING and NECKLACE (specifically men's chunky jewelry) fit this? Or could OUROBOROS (tattoo design) fit? MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, OUROBOROS (tattoo?), and what else? 9. **Let me think about categories differently:** What if it's about things that are loops/cycles: - OUROBOROS (infinite loop) - MOUSE (computer mouse - you move it in circles/loops?) - No, this seems weak. 10. **"Mystery" themed:** - MYSTERY - HERRING (red herring in mysteries) - HOUSE (murder mystery in a house?) - MOUSE (mouse detective? Stuart Little? Basil the Great Mouse Detective?) Let me try the Guy Fieri/douchey fashion angle: MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, and two more items that fit that aesthetic... Could be: EARRING (men's earring), NECKLACE (men's necklace/chain) But actually, OUROBOROS could be a tattoo design that's also part of that aesthetic. Let me try: MESH SHIRT, PLEATHER VEST, EARRING, NECKLACE

Great! Now I have: Remaining words: MOUSE, HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, HERRING, HOUSE, OUROBOROS, STIRRING, MYSTERY 8 words left, so 2 groups of 4. Let me reconsider patterns: 1. **Words ending in -RING or containing RING:** - HERRING - STIRRING - Need 2 more... I don't see obvious -RING words in the remaining list. 2. **Anagrams or letter patterns:** - MOUSE: M-O-U-S-E - HOUSE: H-O-U-S-E Both end in -OUSE - HERRING: H-E-R-R-I-N-G - STIRRING: S-T-I-R-R-I-N-G Both end in -RRING But I need groups of 4. 3. **Hidden word patterns:** - HISTAMINE contains HIST - CHRISTMAS contains HIST (if you read it as CHRIST + MAS, or CHR + IST + MAS) - Actually, looking more carefully: CHrISTMAS - contains IST - HISTAMINE - contains IST What else could contain IST? - MYSTERY - no IST - Let me check: M-Y-S-T-E-R-Y - no IST 4. **What about words that can have RED or WHITE before them:** - HERRING (RED HERRING) - HOUSE (WHITE HOUSE, RED HOUSE) - CHRISTMAS (WHITE CHRISTMAS) - MOUSE (WHITE MOUSE, MICKEY MOUSE?) Could it be: HERRING, HOUSE, CHRISTMAS, MOUSE - all can be preceded by WHITE? - WHITE HERRING? (not common) - WHITE HOUSE (yes!) - WHITE CHRISTMAS (yes!) - WHITE MOUSE (yes, albino mice) Or RED: - RED HERRING (yes!) - RED HOUSE (yes, possible) - RED CHRISTMAS? (not really) - RED MOUSE? (not common) 5. **Let me think about OUROBOROS again:** - It's a circular symbol - Snake eating its tail - Represents cycles, infinity Could there be a pattern about circular things or cycles? - OUROBOROS (circle) - STIRRING (circular motion) - What else? 6. **Chemical or scientific terms:** - HISTAMINE (chemical) - Could others be chemicals or scientific? - HERRING (fish - biological) - MOUSE (animal - biological) 7. **Let me reconsider the ___ + RING pattern:** Words where if you add RING to something, you get the word: - STIR + RING = STIRRING - HER + RING = HERRING (but HERRING is a fish, not literally HER + RING) Actually, wait. What if the pattern is: Words that contain a word + RING structure: - HERRING contains HER + RING - STIRRING contains STIR + RING What else in my list? - OUROBOROS - no - HISTAMINE - no - CHRISTMAS - no - MYSTERY - MYST + ERY? No RING - MOUSE - no - HOUSE - no 8. **Actually, let me look for words that sound like or contain color names:** - MOUSE - no - HOUSE - no - Wait... what about MYSTERY → MIST + ERY? MIST could be a gray/white color? Let me try thinking: what if words can have the same color word before them? WHITE ___: - WHITE HOUSE - WHITE CHRISTMAS - WHITE MOUSE - What else? WHITE MYSTERY? No. Hmm, but I need 4. Let me check if HISTAMINE works: - WHITE HISTAMINE? No. - RED HISTAMINE? No. What about OUROBOROS? - WHITE OUROBOROS? No. - RED OUROBOROS? No. What about STIRRING? - WHITE STIRRING? No. - RED STIRRING? No. What about HERRING? - WHITE HERRING? Not common, but... - RED HERRING? YES! So maybe: HOUSE, CHRISTMAS, MOUSE, and one more can all be preceded by WHITE? Or maybe the category is more specific. Let me try: HOUSE, CHRISTMAS, MOUSE, HERRING - can all have color adjectives? Actually, let me try: MOUSE, HOUSE, CHRISTMAS, HERRING

Oh no, I only have 1 guess left! Let me be very careful. Remaining words: MOUSE, HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, HERRING, HOUSE, OUROBOROS, STIRRING, MYSTERY I need to find the correct grouping. Let me think very systematically. Since there are 8 words left and 2 groups, if one group is wrong, the other must be right. Let me think about what I know: - These are NYT Connections, so there are often clever wordplay categories - The categories can be tricky Let me reconsider VERY carefully: **Pattern 1: Words that can be broken down as [WORD] + RING** - HERRING - could this be HER + RING? (even if it's a fish name) - STIRRING - STIR + RING - Need 2 more that fit this pattern Looking at remaining words for hidden RING: - MOUSE - no - HISTAMINE - no - CHRISTMAS - no - HOUSE - no - OUROBOROS - no - MYSTERY - no **Pattern 2: Anagrams** Let me check if any are anagrams of each other: - MOUSE (5 letters) - HOUSE (5 letters) - MOUSE and HOUSE share O-U-S-E **Pattern 3: What about phrases or compound words?** Think about famous phrases: - RED HERRING - WHITE HOUSE - WHITE CHRISTMAS - MICKEY MOUSE - MYSTERY HOUSE - OUROBOROS (symbol, not typically in phrases) - HISTAMINE (chemical compound) - STIRRING (action) **Pattern 4: Things that contain specific letter sequences** - HOUSE: H-O-U-S-E - MOUSE: M-O-U-S-E - Both contain OUSE - HERRING: H-E-R-R-I-N-G - STIRRING: S-T-I-R-R-I-N-G - Both contain RRING So maybe: Group 1: MOUSE, HOUSE (and 2 others with -OUSE) Group 2: HERRING, STIRRING (and 2 others with -RRING) But what else has -OUSE? Looking at: HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, OUROBOROS, MYSTERY - CHRISTMAS - no -OUSE - OUROBOROS - has ROUS? O-U-R-O-B-O-R-O-S - Wait! OUROBOROS contains -ROUS which has ROUS (anagram of OURS/OUSE-ish? No, this is a stretch) Hmm, what else ends in -OUSE? Not seeing it... **Pattern 5: Let me think about what the words contain as substrings** Actually, wait! What if the pattern is about ANAGRAMS or rearranging? - MOUSE can be rearranged to... MEOWS? MOUES? - HOUSE can be rearranged to... Or what if it's about what letters can be added/removed? **Pattern 6: ___ HOUSE phrases** - WHITE HOUSE - MYSTERY HOUSE - MOUSE HOUSE (Mickey's house?) - No, this doesn't seem right **Pattern 7: Let me look at this completely differently** What if some of these words contain the names of things hidden inside: - HISTAMINE - contains STAMIN (stamina without the A)? - CHRISTMAS - contains CHRIST, MAS, or HIST - OUROBOROS - contains ORO (gold in Spanish?), BOR, OROS Actually, let me check for animals or creatures: - MOUSE - animal - HERRING - fish - Could OUROBOROS count as a creature (snake)? - What else? HOUSE - no Hmm, three animals isn't enough. Let me think about HISTAMINE more carefully. It's a compound released during allergic reactions. Could there be a chemistry/medical category? - HISTAMINE (chemical) - No others seem obviously chemical **Wait! What if I'm overthinking the -RING pattern?** What if the category is literally: "Words that end in -RING"? - HERRING - STIRRING - And I need 2 more... Could OUROBOROS be considered? No, it ends in -OS. Could HISTAMINE? No. CHRISTMAS? No, ends in -MAS. MYSTERY? No, ends in -RY. HOUSE, MOUSE? No. Unless... could some of these words be homophones or sound like -RING words? **Let me try one more angle: What words rhyme or have similar sounds?** - MOUSE / HOUSE (rhyme!) - HERRING / STIRRING (rhyme!) Could the categories be: Group 1: MOUSE, HOUSE (+ 2 more rhyming words) Group 2: HERRING, STIRRING (+ 2 more rhyming words) What rhymes with MOUSE/HOUSE? - Looking at remaining: HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, OUROBOROS, MYSTERY - None of these rhyme with MOUSE/HOUSE What rhymes with HERRING/STIRRING? - Words ending in -ERRING or -IRRING sound - MYSTERY? No, doesn't rhyme. - CHRISTMAS? Christ-mas... no. - HISTAMINE? His-ta-mean... no. - OUROBOROS? No. Hmm, this isn't working either. **Let me go back to basics:** Maybe it's simpler than I think. Words ending in similar patterns: - MOUSE, HOUSE both end in -OUSE - HERRING, STIRRING both end in -RRING What if I need to find what else ends in -OUSE? Looking very carefully at the remaining 8 words for OUSE: - MOUSE ✓ - HISTAMINE - no - CHRISTMAS - no - HERRING - no - HOUSE ✓ - OUROBOROS - contains OROS, ROUS... wait: O-U-R-O-B-O-R-O-S Does it contain OUSE? No, it has O-U-S but not OUSE in sequence... actually wait: O-U-R-O-B-O-R-O-S - no OUSE sequence - STIRRING - no - MYSTERY - no So only MOUSE and HOUSE have -OUSE. What about words containing the letters O-U-S-E (not necessarily in that order or consecutive)? - MOUSE - yes (consecutive) - HOUSE - yes (consecutive) - OUROBOROS - has O, U, O, R, O, S - has O, U, S but not E - MYSTERY - has M, Y, S, T, E, R, Y - no This isn't getting me to 4 words. Let me try a completely different approach: **What if some words can have the same prefix?** - ANTI-HISTAMINE - Could there be other ANTI- words? Or OVER-: - OVER-STIRRING? Or UN-: - UN-? **Actually, let me reconsider the rhyming/phonetic approach more carefully:** HERRING and STIRRING clearly rhyme (both -ERRING/-IRRING sound). What if MYSTERY and HISTAMINE somehow fit because they have similar sounds? - MYSTERY: MIS-ter-ee - HISTAMINE: HIS-ta-meen - Hmm, not really rhyming. What about CHRISTMAS? - CHRISTMAS: KRIS-mas - Does this rhyme with anything? ISTHMUS? Not in the list. **Okay, let me think about this more carefully with the actual sound/pronunciation:** Words with "IST" sound: - HISTAMINE - has "HIST" - CHRISTMAS - has "Christ" which sounds like "krist" - MYSTERY - has "myst" sound - Do these all have an "IST" or similar sound? - HISTAMINE: HIST-a-meen (IST sound) - CHRISTMAS: KRIST-mas (IST sound) - MYSTERY: MIST-er-ee (IST sound) What else could have this sound? - MOUSE - no - HOUSE - no - HERRING - no - STIRRING - has "STIR" which is close to "IST" backwards? No, that's a stretch. - OUROBOROS - no IST sound So maybe: HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, MYSTERY, and one more with an IST sound? What about OUROBOROS? Oo-ROH-bor-os... no IST sound. Hmm, I only get 3 with IST sound. **Wait, let me reconsider STIRRING:** STIRRING: STUR-ring Does it have an IST sound? No, it's STIR not IST. Unless the category is words containing the letters I-S-T (not necessarily consecutive or in that order)? - HISTAMINE: H-I-S-T-A-M-I-N-E (has I, S, T) - CHRISTMAS: C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S (has I, S, T) - MYSTERY: M-Y-S-T-E-R-Y (has S, T, Y - has S and T but no I!) So MYSTERY doesn't have an I. What about words with S-T consecutive? - HISTAMINE: hiSTamine - CHRISTMAS: chriSTmas - MYSTERY: mySTery - OUROBOROS: ouroboros - no S-T So HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, MYSTERY all have S-T. What else has S-T? - MOUSE: mouSe - no T - HOUSE: houSe - no T - HERRING: herring - no S or T - STIRRING: STirring - yes! Has S-T - OUROBOROS: ouroboros - no So: HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, MYSTERY, STIRRING all contain S-T! Let me verify: - HISTAMINE: H-I-S-T-A-M-I-N-E ✓ - CHRISTMAS: C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S ✓ - MYSTERY: M-Y-S-T-E-R-Y ✓ - STIRRING: S-T-I-R-R-I-N-G ✓ This leaves: MOUSE, HOUSE, HERRING, OUROBOROS Do these 4 have something in common? - MOUSE - animal - HOUSE - building - HERRING - fish - OUROBOROS - mythical snake symbol Hmm, what could connect these? Or wait, let me check: do these all contain specific letters? - MOUSE: M-O-U-S-E - HOUSE: H-O-U-S-E - HERRING: H-E-R-R-I-N-G - OUROBOROS: O-U-R-O-B-O-R-O-S They all have O! But that's probably too simple. Do they all have R? - MOUSE - no R - HOUSE - no R - HERRING - yes, R - OUROBOROS - yes, R No, not all have R. Do they all have U? - MOUSE - yes, U - HOUSE - yes, U - HERRING - no U - OUROBOROS - yes, U No, HERRING doesn't have U. Hmm. Let me go with my S-T theory since that seems most solid: HISTAMINE, CHRISTMAS, MYSTERY, STIRRING - all contain the letters S and T (consecutive or not). This would leave: MOUSE, HOUSE, HERRING, OUROBOROS for the other group.

Let me analyze these 16 words for potential categories in the NYT Connections game. Available words: SHAM, BLANKET, LABOR, UPHOLD, DRAW, PLAY, PASS, KEEP, JUSTICE, FULFILL, ENERGY, THROW, DISCARD, SHEET, HONOR, STATE Let me look for potential groupings: 1. **Things that can go with "Department"**: LABOR, JUSTICE, ENERGY, STATE - These are all U.S. Cabinet departments (Department of Labor, Department of Justice, Department of Energy, Department of State) 2. **Verbs meaning to maintain/support**: UPHOLD, KEEP, FULFILL, HONOR - These all relate to maintaining or supporting something (uphold a promise, keep a promise, fulfill a promise, honor a promise) 3. **Card game actions**: DRAW, PLAY, PASS, DISCARD - These are all actions you can take in card games 4. **Bedding items**: SHAM, BLANKET, SHEET, THROW - These are all items you'd find on a bed (pillow sham, blanket, sheet, throw blanket) This looks like a very clean set of four categories with exactly 4 words each. Let me start with the most confident one. The U.S. Cabinet departments seems very strong: LABOR, JUSTICE, ENERGY, STATE are all well-known departments.

Great! LABOR, JUSTICE, ENERGY, STATE were correct (U.S. Cabinet departments). Remaining words: SHAM, BLANKET, UPHOLD, DRAW, PLAY, PASS, KEEP, FULFILL, THROW, DISCARD, SHEET, HONOR Now let me reconsider the remaining 12 words: 1. **Bedding items**: SHAM, BLANKET, SHEET, THROW - These are all items you'd find on a bed (pillow sham, blanket, sheet, throw blanket) 2. **Verbs meaning to maintain/support promises**: UPHOLD, KEEP, FULFILL, HONOR - These all can go with "a promise" or "a commitment" (uphold a promise, keep a promise, fulfill a promise, honor a promise) 3. **Card game actions**: DRAW, PLAY, PASS, DISCARD - These are all actions you can take in card games That leaves all 12 words perfectly categorized into three groups of 4. I'll go with the bedding items next as that seems very clear and concrete.

Excellent! SHAM, BLANKET, SHEET, THROW were correct (bedding items). Remaining words: UPHOLD, DRAW, PLAY, PASS, KEEP, FULFILL, THROW, DISCARD, HONOR Wait, let me recount. THROW was already used, so: Remaining words: UPHOLD, DRAW, PLAY, PASS, KEEP, FULFILL, DISCARD, HONOR That's 8 words remaining, which means 2 groups of 4. 1. **Verbs meaning to maintain/honor commitments**: UPHOLD, KEEP, FULFILL, HONOR - These all can pair with "a promise" or "a vow" (uphold a vow, keep a promise, fulfill a promise, honor a commitment) 2. **Card game actions**: DRAW, PLAY, PASS, DISCARD - These are all standard actions in card games Both categories seem very strong. Let me go with the promise/commitment verbs as they form a tight semantic group.

Perfect! UPHOLD, KEEP, FULFILL, HONOR were correct. Remaining words: DRAW, PLAY, PASS, DISCARD These are the last 4 words, and they should all be card game actions: - DRAW a card - PLAY a card - PASS your turn - DISCARD a card This must be the final group.

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: HIKE, RUBBISH, WALK, TAIL, HUNT, CRANK, POWERS, BULL, BALONEY, FISH, ARCHER, RAISE, BUNK, NAP, PEEL, JACK Potential categories I can identify: 1. Words meaning "nonsense" or "lies": - RUBBISH (nonsense) - BULL (short for bullshit, nonsense) - BALONEY (nonsense) - BUNK (as in "bunkum", nonsense) 2. Card game terms (like in card games): - RAISE (poker term) - JACK (playing card) - Could HIKE fit here? Not really a card term. 3. Activities/Verbs: - HIKE (to walk) - WALK (to walk) - HUNT (to hunt) - FISH (to fish) 4. Words that can follow "AUSTIN": - AUSTIN POWERS (movie character) - AUSTIN... hmm, need to think more 5. Considering "ARCHER" - could be: - Sterling ARCHER (character) - ARCHER as a profession - Or part of a pattern with names? 6. Looking for patterns with card games or poker: - RAISE (increase bet) - JACK (card) - But what else? Let me reconsider - words that might go with "AUSTIN": - AUSTIN POWERS (character) - AUSTIN... what else could work? Actually, thinking about sitcom characters or TV shows: - ARCHER (TV show) - Could these be TV show titles? Wait, let me think about words meaning nonsense/lies more carefully: - RUBBISH (British for nonsense) - BULL (nonsense) - BALONEY (nonsense) - BUNK (nonsense) This seems like a very strong connection! Let me also consider if these could be verbs that take similar objects or have similar meanings, or if they could all precede or follow a common word. I'm most confident about the "nonsense" group: RUBBISH, BULL, BALONEY, BUNK

Great! Now I have 12 words remaining: HIKE, WALK, TAIL, HUNT, CRANK, POWERS, FISH, ARCHER, RAISE, NAP, PEEL, JACK Let me look for the next group: 1. Activities/Outdoor activities: - HIKE (walk in nature) - WALK (move on foot) - HUNT (pursue game) - FISH (catch fish) These all seem like outdoor recreational activities. 2. Card/Poker terms: - RAISE (increase bet in poker) - JACK (playing card) - Could others fit? Not obviously. 3. Words that can follow a common word: - Could these all follow "AUSTIN"? - AUSTIN POWERS (yes, the movie character) Let me think about TV shows or characters: - ARCHER (animated TV show) - POWERS (could be a show?) - JACK (could be part of many show titles) 4. Thinking about "____ NAP": - CAT NAP - POWER NAP - KID NAP... wait 5. Words that can come before "NAP": - CAT NAP - POWER NAP - KID NAP (KIDNAP) - DOG NAP? Not common... 6. What about compound words or phrases? - RAISE + ? - HIKE + ? - TAIL + ? 7. Looking at "PEEL": - PEEL (remove skin) - Could this go with food/cooking terms? 8. Thinking about verbs: - HIKE, WALK, HUNT, FISH - all outdoor activities - RAISE, PEEL, CRANK - different types of actions Let me reconsider - could these be words that can all precede or follow the same word? "JACK": - JACK HUNT? No - JACK FISH? Jackfish is a type of fish! - JACK RABBIT? - CRACKER JACK? Thinking about types of fish or animals: - JACK (jackfish) - Could others be types of animals? Actually, let me think about "___WALK": - CATWALK - But what else? Or "WALK___": - WALKABOUT? I think my strongest guess is still the outdoor activities: HIKE, WALK, HUNT, FISH

Okay, so HIKE, WALK, HUNT, FISH are NOT all in the same group. Let me reconsider. Remaining words: HIKE, WALK, TAIL, HUNT, CRANK, POWERS, FISH, ARCHER, RAISE, NAP, PEEL, JACK Since those outdoor activities didn't work together, let me think about what other patterns exist. Let me think about words that can precede a common word: 1. Words that can come before "NAP": - CAT NAP - KID NAP (KIDNAP - one word) - DOG NAP? - POWER NAP 2. Words + "JACK": - CRACKER JACK - FLAPJACK - Could others make compound words with JACK? 3. Let me think about Austin Powers characters: - AUSTIN POWERS (the main character) - Could there be other character names here? - AUSTIN... what were the character names? 4. What about "___ RAISE": - RAISE could be poker term - BARN RAISE? 5. Thinking about words that go with "ORANGE": - ORANGE PEEL - ORANGE... 6. Let me consider: could these be words that pair with types of animals? - CAT: CATNAP, CATWALK, CATFISH - DOG: ? Wait! Let me think about "CAT___": - CATNAP (NAP) - CATWALK (WALK) - CATFISH (FISH) - What else starts with CAT? Actually, CRANK could be: - CRANK CALL? Let me explore "CAT" combinations more: - CATNAP - yes - CATWALK - yes - CATFISH - yes - CAT TAIL - yes! (cattail is a plant) So: NAP, WALK, FISH, TAIL could all be preceded by "CAT"!

Excellent! So those were all "CAT___" words. Remaining words: HIKE, HUNT, CRANK, POWERS, ARCHER, RAISE, PEEL, JACK Now I have 8 words left, meaning 2 groups of 4. Let me think about possible categories: 1. Poker/Card terms: - RAISE (poker action) - JACK (playing card) - What else could be poker related? 2. TV Shows or Characters: - ARCHER (animated TV show) - POWERS (Austin Powers character) - Could others be TV shows? 3. Actions/Verbs: - HIKE (increase) - RAISE (increase) - HUNT (search for) - PEEL (remove skin) - CRANK (turn) Wait, HIKE and RAISE can both mean "increase": - HIKE prices - RAISE prices - JACK up prices (JACK can also mean increase!) - What else means increase? PUMP? Not in the list... - CRANK up (increase volume/intensity) So: HIKE, RAISE, JACK, CRANK - all can mean "increase" or "raise up"! That would leave: HUNT, POWERS, ARCHER, PEEL Let me verify this makes sense: - HIKE (up) - increase - RAISE (up) - increase - JACK (up) - increase - CRANK (up) - increase Yes, this seems very strong! And the remaining four: HUNT, POWERS, ARCHER, PEEL - Could these all be related somehow? - ARCHER - TV show/character - POWERS - Austin Powers - HUNT - could be a character name (Hunt in Mission Impossible?) - PEEL - Emma Peel from The Avengers? Actually, yes! Emma PEEL from The Avengers, Austin POWERS, Sterling ARCHER, and Ethan HUNT - all spy/action characters!

Perfect! So those were all words meaning "increase" or "raise up." The remaining four words are: HUNT, POWERS, ARCHER, PEEL Based on my earlier thinking, these should all be spy/action character surnames: - Ethan HUNT (Mission: Impossible) - Austin POWERS (Austin Powers movies) - Sterling ARCHER (Archer animated series) - Emma PEEL (The Avengers TV series) All of these are iconic spy or secret agent characters from film/TV! This should be the final group.

Let me analyze the 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Available words: FREEZE, SHRINK, COVER, SOMEDAY, SUIT, VAPORIZE, MELT, SUB, BACKUP, HERO, HACK, CONDENSE, COPPER, ALTERNATE, FANTASY, HONEY Let me look for patterns: 1. **Phase changes/states of matter**: FREEZE, VAPORIZE, MELT, CONDENSE - these are all processes that describe changes in states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) 2. **Types of sandwiches**: SUB, HERO, COPPER(?), HONEY(?) - SUB and HERO are definitely sandwich types. Wait, could there be more? Let me think... MELT could be a sandwich (like a tuna melt)... but I already used MELT in group 1. 3. **Words that can follow a common word**: Looking for "___ SUIT" or "SUIT ___" - BACKUP could work with other contexts 4. **Music/Band related**: Could COVER be a cover song? ALTERNATE could be alternative music? Let me reconsider: **Sandwich types**: SUB, HERO... what else? A MELT is a type of sandwich. What about COPPER? I don't think that's a sandwich type. Wait, let me think about this differently: **Phase transitions**: FREEZE (liquid to solid), MELT (solid to liquid), VAPORIZE (liquid to gas), CONDENSE (gas to liquid) - these are the four fundamental phase changes! **Terms of endearment/pet names**: HONEY could be one... SUGAR? I don't see SUGAR. **Prefix words**: SUB (submarine, substitute), BACKUP, ALTERNATE, COVER (coverage, covering) **Song titles or parts**: SOMEDAY, FANTASY, COVER (as in cover song) Let me reconsider sandwiches: SUB, HERO, MELT (tuna melt, patty melt), and... could COPPER be slang for something? Actually, I don't think COPPER is a sandwich. Most confident guess: FREEZE, MELT, VAPORIZE, CONDENSE - these are the four phase changes of matter.

Great! Now I have 12 words remaining: SHRINK, COVER, SOMEDAY, SUIT, SUB, BACKUP, HERO, HACK, COPPER, ALTERNATE, FANTASY, HONEY Let me look for the next pattern: 1. **Sandwich types**: SUB, HERO - these are definitely sandwich types. What else could be a sandwich? MELT was already used. Could COPPER be a sandwich? I'm not familiar with that. What about HONEY? Not really a sandwich type on its own. 2. **Words that can precede a common word**: - BACKUP ___ (plan, singer, dancer) - ALTERNATE ___ (route, reality) - Could these go with a common word? 3. **Psychiatry/therapy related**: SHRINK (slang for psychiatrist/therapist), HACK (life hack?), could be a stretch 4. **Terms of endearment**: HONEY could be one, SUGAR (not available) 5. **Types of plans or options**: BACKUP (backup plan), ALTERNATE (alternate plan), CONTINGENCY (not here) Wait, let me think about "HERO": - HERO sandwich - HERO (protagonist) - BACKUP hero? - SUB could mean substitute... Actually, thinking about synonyms for "substitute" or "replacement": - SUB (substitute) - BACKUP (backup player/replacement) - ALTERNATE (alternate player) - COVER (covering for someone) These could all mean someone who fills in for another person! Or thinking about it differently - words that mean "replacement" or "stand-in": SUB, BACKUP, ALTERNATE, COVER - all can refer to someone/something that fills in or replaces! This seems very strong to me.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: SHRINK, SOMEDAY, SUIT, HERO, HACK, COPPER, FANTASY, HONEY Let me analyze these: 1. **Sandwich types**: HERO is definitely a type of sandwich. Are there others here? - HERO sandwich (yes) - COPPER? (not that I know of) - HONEY? (not really) 2. **Terms of endearment/pet names**: - HONEY (definitely) - SUGAR (not available) - Could COPPER be used? Not typically... 3. **Slang terms or informal names**: - SHRINK (slang for psychiatrist) - COPPER (slang for police officer!) - HACK (cab driver, or journalist) - Could SUIT be slang for businessman/executive? Actually, yes! SUIT is slang for a businessman/corporate person, SHRINK is slang for psychiatrist, COPPER is slang for cop/police officer, and HACK can be slang for a taxi driver or a journalist! These are all slang terms for professions! 4. What would be left?: SOMEDAY, HERO, FANTASY, HONEY - These could be song titles? - "Someday" - various songs - "Hero" - Mariah Carey - "Fantasy" - Mariah Carey - "Honey" - Mariah Carey! Wait, are these all Mariah Carey songs? Let me think... - "Hero" - yes, Mariah Carey - "Fantasy" - yes, Mariah Carey - "Honey" - yes, Mariah Carey - "Someday" - yes, Mariah Carey! I think the slang professions group is strong: SHRINK, COPPER, HACK, SUIT

Perfect! That leaves the final 4 words: SOMEDAY, HERO, FANTASY, HONEY Based on my earlier thinking, these should all be Mariah Carey songs: - "Hero" - Yes, a famous Mariah Carey song from 1993 - "Fantasy" - Yes, a hit Mariah Carey song from 1995 - "Honey" - Yes, a Mariah Carey song from 1997 - "Someday" - Yes, a Mariah Carey song from 1990 This must be the final group - all Mariah Carey song titles!

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: TILE, CARPET, WAILER, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, LAMINATE, FIREWORKS, BANK, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY, BANSHEE, SHORE, WOOD, STRAND, PIP, COAST Potential categories: 1. **Flooring types**: TILE, CARPET, LAMINATE, WOOD - These are all common flooring materials. This seems like a strong category. 2. **Things that cry/wail**: WAILER, BANSHEE - Both relate to wailing/crying, but I need 4 words. 3. **Coastal/beach terms**: BANK, SHORE, COAST, STRAND - STRAND can mean beach/shore, BANK can be riverbank, SHORE and COAST are obvious. This could work. 4. **Chemistry/relationship terms**: SPARK, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY - These relate to romantic connections, but only 3 words. HEARTBREAKER could fit but that's more about ending relationships. 5. **Tom Petty songs**: HEARTBREAKER could be "American Girl" or his cover of "American Girl". Let me think about music connections - HEARTBREAKER (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the band name), WAILER (Bob Marley and the Wailers), BANSHEE (Siouxsie and the Banshees)... Need to find a 4th band with a plural noun. 6. **Fireworks/explosive**: FIREWORKS, SPARK - only 2 Let me reconsider: - PIP could be a seed, a spot on dice/cards, or part of "Gladys Knight and the Pips" - If thinking about bands: Tom Petty and the HEARTBREAKERS, Bob Marley and the WAILERS, Siouxsie and the BANSHEES, Gladys Knight and the PIPS - This is a strong category! The flooring category (TILE, CARPET, LAMINATE, WOOD) seems most straightforward and certain. The coastal terms (BANK, SHORE, COAST, STRAND) also seems solid. Let me go with the flooring first as it's the most concrete category.

Great! Now I have 12 words left: WAILER, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, FIREWORKS, BANK, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY, BANSHEE, SHORE, STRAND, PIP, COAST Based on my earlier analysis, I'm now very confident about the band names category: - Tom Petty and the HEARTBREAKERS - Bob Marley and the WAILERS - Siouxsie and the BANSHEES - Gladys Knight and the PIPS This seems like a classic NYT Connections category - famous bands with "The [Plural Noun]" format. The remaining words would be: SPARK, FIREWORKS, BANK, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY, SHORE, STRAND, COAST Let me verify the coastal/shore category: BANK, SHORE, STRAND, COAST - SHORE - edge of water - COAST - seashore - STRAND - another word for beach/shore - BANK - riverbank or shoreline And that would leave: SPARK, FIREWORKS, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY These could all relate to romantic attraction or the start of a relationship: - SPARK - romantic spark - CHEMISTRY - romantic chemistry - CONNECTION - romantic connection - FIREWORKS - the "fireworks" you feel when attracted to someone I'll go with the band names category as I'm very confident about it.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words left: SPARK, FIREWORKS, BANK, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY, SHORE, STRAND, COAST I identified two potential categories earlier: 1. **Coastal/shore terms**: BANK, SHORE, STRAND, COAST - SHORE - edge of water body - COAST - seashore/coastline - STRAND - beach or shore - BANK - riverbank or edge of water 2. **Romantic attraction/chemistry**: SPARK, FIREWORKS, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY - SPARK - romantic spark between people - CHEMISTRY - romantic chemistry - CONNECTION - romantic connection - FIREWORKS - the feeling/excitement of attraction Both seem very solid. The romantic attraction category feels like a typical NYT Connections category - words that describe the beginning or feeling of romantic attraction. I'll go with the romantic attraction category as it seems like a more unified thematic group.

Perfect! That leaves the final 4 words: BANK, SHORE, STRAND, COAST These should all be synonyms or related terms for the edge of a body of water: - BANK - the land alongside a river or lake - SHORE - the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other body of water - STRAND - a poetic or archaic word for beach or shore - COAST - the seashore or land next to the sea This must be the final category!

Let me analyze these 16 words for potential categories in the NYT Connections game. Available words: ECHO, FANTASTIC, PRISONER, MIME, REFEREE, GENIE, CANDLES, SAMURAI, LAG, APOLLO, PARROT, PRINCESS, SAILOR, DROP, MONKEY, FREEZE Let me look for patterns: 1. **Possible category - Things that repeat/copy:** - ECHO (repeats sound) - PARROT (repeats speech) - MIME (copies actions) - MONKEY (as in "monkey see, monkey do") 2. **Possible category - Words that can follow "SUPER":** - FANTASTIC (not super...) - Let me reconsider... 3. **Possible category - Children's game commands:** - FREEZE (freeze tag, freeze dance) - DROP (drop the handkerchief) - Hmm, need more... 4. **Possible category - Things with stripes (uniforms):** - REFEREE (striped uniform) - PRISONER (striped uniform) - SAILOR (striped uniform) - MIME (striped shirt) 5. **Possible category - "Sailor ___" references:** - SAILOR MOON characters: Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, etc. - Let me think about anime/manga... 6. **Words that can come before "MR.":** - FANTASTIC MR. FOX - Hmm, just one... 7. **Apollo Theater or Apollo missions:** - APOLLO stands alone here 8. **Birthday-related:** - CANDLES (birthday candles) - Seems isolated The striped uniform category seems very strong: - REFEREE - black and white stripes - PRISONER - black and white stripes - SAILOR - nautical stripes - MIME - black and white striped shirt This feels like a classic NYT Connections category about things that are traditionally depicted with striped clothing.

Great! The striped uniform category was correct. Now I have 12 words remaining: ECHO, FANTASTIC, GENIE, CANDLES, SAMURAI, LAG, APOLLO, PARROT, PRINCESS, DROP, MONKEY, FREEZE Let me reconsider patterns: 1. **Things that repeat/copy:** - ECHO (repeats sound) - PARROT (repeats what you say) - MONKEY (as in "monkey see, monkey do" - mimics) - Need one more... MIME was already used 2. **Sailor Moon characters:** - SAILOR was already used, but thinking about Sailor Moon: - Sailor MOON (the main character) - Could there be other Sailor Scouts? Let me think of what follows "Sailor"... 3. **Words that can come before "MOON":** - SAILOR MOON (anime character) - Hmm, what else? 4. **Simon Says / Children's game commands:** - FREEZE - DROP - Thinking of commands... 5. **Let me think about "____ MR. FOX":** - FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Roald Dahl book/Wes Anderson film) 6. **Disney Princesses or Princess references:** - PRINCESS - could be part of a pattern 7. **Apollo Theater, Apollo missions:** - APOLLO 8. **Tag game variations:** - FREEZE tag - MONKEY in the middle - DROP the handkerchief - Hmm, need to think... Actually, let me reconsider: Could these be types of TAG games? - FREEZE (freeze tag) - MONKEY (monkey in the middle - though that's not exactly tag) - LAG (lag tag? or TV lag?) Wait - could these be things you can "TAG" or variants of the word TAG? - LAG (anagram of TAG? No, different letters) - FREEZE tag - DROP... Let me think about ECHO, PARROT, MONKEY - things that copy/repeat: - ECHO - repeats sound - PARROT - repeats speech - MONKEY - copies behavior ("monkey see, monkey do") - What's the fourth? Could MIME have fit here too? But that's used. Could SAMURAI fit? No, doesn't repeat. Could APOLLO fit? Apollo could echo... no, that's a stretch. I'm most confident about ECHO, PARROT, MONKEY as things that copy/imitate. Need the fourth word. Could DROP work? "Drop" as in "drop the beat" - repeating? No. Could FREEZE work? No. Could LAG work? Video lag creates an echo effect? Feels like a stretch. Actually, could it be FANTASTIC, GENIE, PRINCESS, SAMURAI - all from Aladdin? - GENIE (obviously) - PRINCESS (Jasmine) - Hmm, SAMURAI doesn't fit Aladdin. Let me try the copying/repeating category with my best guess for the fourth: ECHO, PARROT, MONKEY... and possibly SAMURAI? No. Actually - could LAG fit as network lag causes repeating/stuttering? That seems forced. I'll go with ECHO, PARROT, MONKEY and try APOLLO (Apollo has an echo? Greek mythology connection to Echo the nymph?) No wait - better idea: PARROT, MONKEY, ECHO, FREEZE Could these all be dance moves or kids' games? - PARROT - ? - MONKEY - monkey dance - FREEZE - freeze dance - ECHO - ? I think I should stick with the imitation theme: ECHO, PARROT, MONKEY, and I need to pick the fourth. Let me try LAG since network lag creates a delay/repeat effect.

Okay, so ECHO, PARROT, MONKEY, LAG was incorrect. That means my "things that copy/repeat" category isn't quite right, or I had the wrong fourth word. Remaining words: ECHO, FANTASTIC, GENIE, CANDLES, SAMURAI, LAG, APOLLO, PARROT, PRINCESS, DROP, MONKEY, FREEZE Let me think differently: 1. **Freeze-related or game commands:** - FREEZE (freeze tag, freeze dance) - DROP (drop and give me 20, drop the handkerchief) - Hmm... 2. **Looking for "____ MR. ____" or similar patterns:** - FANTASTIC MR. FOX 3. **Could these be "SAILOR ____" completions?** - SAILOR MOON (anime) But SAILOR was already used in the first group. 4. **Let me think about Aladdin:** - GENIE (from Aladdin) - PRINCESS (Jasmine) - CANDLES (Arabian Nights theme?) - No, doesn't feel right. 5. **Greek/Roman mythology:** - APOLLO (Greek god) - ECHO (nymph in Greek mythology) - Hmm, need more... 6. **Children's games or playground games:** - FREEZE tag - MONKEY in the middle - DROP the handkerchief - What's the fourth? LAG? No... 7. **Wait - could these be TAG game variants?** - FREEZE tag - MONKEY in the middle (not really tag) - TV tag? Phone tag? 8. **Let me reconsider - what about things that come after a color?** - RED PRINCESS? No. - BLUE MOON? 9. **Or things that come BEFORE a common word:** - APOLLO 13? APOLLO THEATER? - PRINCESS BRIDE? - FANTASTIC FOUR? 10. **Wait - could these all be "_____ MOON"?** - SAILOR MOON (already used SAILOR) - Hmm, but what about others? 11. **Children's party games:** - FREEZE dance - DROP the handkerchief - MONKEY in the middle - PARROT? (party game?) Actually, let me think about this more carefully: - FREEZE dance (musical chairs variant) - DROP the handkerchief - MONKEY in the middle - These could all be children's games! What's the fourth children's game? - ECHO? (not a game I know) - LAG? (lag tag? TV tag?) - CANDLES? (blow out the candles - birthday game?) Let me try: FREEZE, DROP, MONKEY, CANDLES (all party/children's games)

Okay, two incorrect guesses now. I need to be more careful. Let me reconsider completely. Remaining words: ECHO, FANTASTIC, GENIE, CANDLES, SAMURAI, LAG, APOLLO, PARROT, PRINCESS, DROP, MONKEY, FREEZE Let me think about different patterns: 1. **"SUPER" + word combinations:** Could these be things that follow "SUPER"? - SUPER FANTASTIC? No, not common. - Let me think... 2. **Video game or tech terms:** - LAG (network lag) - DROP (frame drop) - FREEZE (screen freeze) - What's the fourth? ECHO (echo in audio)? This could work! All tech/gaming issues or effects: - LAG (delay) - DROP (frames dropping) - FREEZE (freezing/crashing) - ECHO (audio echo/feedback) 3. **Or maybe these are all MOON ____:** - Wait, what comes AFTER these words? - APOLLO moon missions - Hmm... 4. **Let me think about "MR. ___":** - MR. FANTASTIC (Marvel character - Fantastic Four) - Could others work? - MR. FREEZE (Batman villain) - Hmm, what else? 5. **Or "_____ MAN":** - GENIE in a bottle? No. - CANDLES? No. 6. **Wait - Batman villains!** - MR. FREEZE (Batman villain) - POISON IVY? (not here) - Could there be others? 7. **Marvel/DC characters:** - MR. FANTASTIC (Fantastic Four) - MR. FREEZE (Batman) - Hmm, need to find more... 8. **Actually, let me reconsider the tech issues category:** - LAG - DROP - FREEZE - ECHO These are all common audio/video/network problems or effects. This feels strong! 9. **Or could they be Apollo Program related:** - APOLLO (the program) - GENIE? SAMURAI? Doesn't fit. I think the tech issues category is my best bet: LAG, DROP, FREEZE, ECHO - all terms for technical problems with audio/video/gaming.

Excellent! So LAG, DROP, FREEZE, ECHO were all tech/audio-video issues. Remaining 8 words: FANTASTIC, GENIE, CANDLES, SAMURAI, APOLLO, PARROT, PRINCESS, MONKEY Now I need to find the next group of 4. Let me think: 1. **"MR. ____" characters:** - MR. FANTASTIC (Fantastic Four - Marvel) - Could there be others? - MR. APOLLO? No. - MR. MONKEY? No. 2. **Disney characters or princess-related:** - PRINCESS (general) - GENIE (Aladdin) - PARROT (Iago from Aladdin? Or other Disney parrots) - MONKEY (Abu from Aladdin!) Wait! GENIE, PARROT (Iago), MONKEY (Abu) are all from Aladdin! What's the fourth? PRINCESS (Jasmine)! This could be: GENIE, PARROT, MONKEY, PRINCESS - all characters from Aladdin! 3. **Or types of rolls/sushi:** - Could APOLLO be a sushi roll? - SAMURAI roll? Not sure if that exists. - Doesn't feel right. 4. **Or things that can be "SUPER":** - SUPER FANTASTIC? No. - SUPER MONKEY? (like Super Monkey Ball?) - Hmm. 5. **Greek/Roman mythology:** - APOLLO (Greek god) - GENIE? No, that's Arabian. - Doesn't fit. 6. **Birthday-related:** - CANDLES (birthday candles) - Seems isolated. The Aladdin connection seems very strong: - GENIE (the Genie) - MONKEY (Abu, Aladdin's monkey sidekick) - PARROT (Iago, Jafar's parrot) - PRINCESS (Princess Jasmine) This feels like a solid NYT Connections category!

Great! The Aladdin characters category was correct. Remaining 4 words: FANTASTIC, CANDLES, SAMURAI, APOLLO These must be the final group. Let me figure out what connects them: 1. **Types of sushi rolls:** - Could these all be sushi roll names? - APOLLO roll (yes, this exists!) - SAMURAI roll (yes, this exists!) - FANTASTIC roll (possibly?) - CANDLES roll? Hmm, less sure about this one. But wait - could CANDLES be a sushi roll? Let me think... VOLCANO roll has candles sometimes? Or DYNAMITE roll? 2. **Things that can follow a word:** - FANTASTIC FOUR - APOLLO 13 - SAMURAI JACK - CANDLES... SIXTEEN CANDLES (the movie!) These could all be titles with numbers! - FANTASTIC FOUR (4) - APOLLO 13 (13) - SIXTEEN CANDLES (16) - SEVEN SAMURAI (7)! Yes! These are all famous movies/shows with numbers in the title: - FANTASTIC FOUR - APOLLO 13 - SIXTEEN CANDLES - SEVEN SAMURAI This feels right! All movie titles that include numbers. 3. **Or could they be "MR. ___":** - MR. FANTASTIC - MR. SAMURAI? No. - Doesn't work. I'm most confident about the numbered titles category: - FANTASTIC (FOUR) - APOLLO (13) - CANDLES (SIXTEEN) - SAMURAI (SEVEN)

Let me analyze the 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Available words: STAKE, POLE, SECRETS, FOLLOW, POST, DIRT, SHARE, MIND, COLUMN, INTEREST, PILLAR, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE, PERCENTAGE, REGARD, OBSERVE Let me look for potential categories: 1. **Synonyms for "pay attention to"**: FOLLOW, MIND, REGARD, OBSERVE - these all can mean to watch, pay attention to, or heed something. 2. **Vertical structures/supports**: POLE, POST, COLUMN, PILLAR - these are all vertical supporting structures. 3. **Things related to ownership/investment**: STAKE, SHARE, INTEREST, PERCENTAGE - these all relate to portions of ownership or investment in something. 4. **Information/gossip related**: SECRETS, DIRT, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE - these all relate to knowledge or information (dirt = gossip/secrets). Let me verify each group: - Group 1 (attention): FOLLOW (follow advice), MIND (mind your manners), REGARD (regard closely), OBSERVE (observe carefully) ✓ - Group 2 (vertical structures): POLE, POST, COLUMN, PILLAR ✓ - Group 3 (ownership): STAKE (ownership stake), SHARE (shares of stock), INTEREST (interest in a company), PERCENTAGE (percentage ownership) ✓ - Group 4 (information): SECRETS, DIRT (slang for gossip), INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE ✓ All four groups seem solid. I'll start with the vertical structures group as it seems most concrete and literal.

Great! The vertical structures group was correct. Now I have 12 words left: STAKE, SECRETS, FOLLOW, DIRT, SHARE, MIND, INTEREST, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE, PERCENTAGE, REGARD, OBSERVE Remaining potential categories: 1. **Synonyms for "pay attention to/heed"**: FOLLOW, MIND, REGARD, OBSERVE - FOLLOW (follow instructions) - MIND (mind your manners, mind the gap) - REGARD (regard with interest) - OBSERVE (observe the rules) 2. **Ownership/investment terms**: STAKE, SHARE, INTEREST, PERCENTAGE - STAKE (ownership stake) - SHARE (shares of stock) - INTEREST (interest in a company) - PERCENTAGE (percentage ownership) 3. **Information/intelligence related**: SECRETS, DIRT, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE - SECRETS (hidden information) - DIRT (gossip/damaging information) - INFORMATION (data/knowledge) - INTELLIGENCE (information/knowledge) All three remaining groups still look strong. I'll go with the ownership/investment terms next, as this is a very concrete financial category.

Excellent! Two down. Now I have 8 words left: SECRETS, FOLLOW, DIRT, MIND, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE, REGARD, OBSERVE Remaining potential categories: 1. **Synonyms for "pay attention to/heed"**: FOLLOW, MIND, REGARD, OBSERVE - FOLLOW (follow the rules) - MIND (mind the store, mind your step) - REGARD (regard with care) - OBSERVE (observe the law) 2. **Information/intelligence/gossip**: SECRETS, DIRT, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE - SECRETS (confidential information) - DIRT (gossip/scandal) - INFORMATION (data/facts) - INTELLIGENCE (information gathered) Both groups look equally strong. Let me think about which is more cohesive... The "pay attention to" group is based on verbs that mean to heed, watch, or be mindful of something. The "information" group includes different types of information - SECRETS (hidden info), DIRT (scandalous info), INFORMATION (general data), INTELLIGENCE (gathered info/spy data). I think I'll go with the "pay attention to" group as these are all verbs with a very similar meaning of heeding or observing.

Perfect! Three groups down, one to go. The remaining 4 words are: SECRETS, DIRT, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE This should be the final group. Let me verify they all connect: - SECRETS: confidential/hidden information - DIRT: slang for gossip or scandalous information - INFORMATION: general term for data/knowledge - INTELLIGENCE: can mean information gathered (especially in espionage context), or knowledge/data These all relate to different types of information or knowledge. This has to be the last group!

Let me analyze these 16 words for potential categories in the NYT Connections game. Looking at the words: DIP, WING, SENATOR, ROCKET, FRY, SCRAPER, CHIP, DIVE, DUCK, LINCOLN, FORD, DODGE, LARK, FLYER, STAR, RAM Potential categories I can identify: 1. **Car brands/models**: LINCOLN, FORD, DODGE, RAM - These are all American automobile manufacturers or models. RAM is a truck brand (formerly Dodge Ram). 2. **Birds**: DUCK, LARK, ... possibly others? Let me think more. 3. **Hockey teams**: SENATOR (Ottawa Senators), DUCK (Anaheim Ducks), FLYER (Philadelphia Flyers), STAR (Dallas Stars) - This seems very strong! All NHL teams. 4. **Downward movements**: DIP, DIVE, DUCK, DODGE - Wait, this could be movements/actions. Actually "duck and dodge" are evasive maneuvers. 5. **Words that can follow "SKY"**: SCRAPER (skyscraper), DIVE (skydive), ROCKET (sky rocket)... Let me reconsider: **NHL Teams** (very confident): - SENATOR (Ottawa Senators) - DUCK (Anaheim Ducks) - FLYER (Philadelphia Flyers) - STAR (Dallas Stars) This seems like the strongest category. All are NHL team names (in plural form in real life, but singular here). **Car brands**: - LINCOLN - FORD - DODGE - RAM Also very strong. I'll start with the NHL teams as this seems like a classic NYT Connections category (sports teams).

Great! The NHL teams were correct. Now I have 12 words remaining: DIP, WING, ROCKET, FRY, SCRAPER, CHIP, DIVE, LINCOLN, FORD, DODGE, LARK, RAM Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Car brands/models**: LINCOLN, FORD, DODGE, RAM - All American automobile brands. This is very strong. 2. **Actions/Movements**: DIP, DIVE, DODGE, ... These are all downward or evasive movements. But I only have 3 clear ones. 3. **Words that can follow a prefix**: - SCRAPER (skyscraper) - DIVE (skydive) - LARK (skylark) - ROCKET (skyrocket) These could all follow "SKY"! 4. **Food items or cooking related**: - FRY - CHIP (potato chip, chocolate chip) - DIP (like a dip/sauce) - WING (chicken wing) Let me think about the "SKY____" category more carefully: - SKYSCRAPER - building - SKYDIVE - parachuting activity - SKYLARK - a type of bird - SKYROCKET - to increase rapidly This seems very plausible! The car brands are also very solid: - LINCOLN - luxury car brand - FORD - car manufacturer - DODGE - car brand - RAM - truck brand (Dodge Ram, now just RAM) I think I'll go with the car brands as it's very straightforward.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: DIP, WING, ROCKET, FRY, SCRAPER, CHIP, DIVE, LARK Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Words that can follow "SKY"**: - SCRAPER (skyscraper) - DIVE (skydive) - LARK (skylark - a bird) - ROCKET (skyrocket) This seems very strong! 2. **Food/Party food items**: - DIP (like salsa, guacamole) - WING (chicken wing) - FRY (french fry) - CHIP (potato chip, tortilla chip) These are all typical party foods or appetizers! Both categories seem very plausible. Let me think about which is more likely... The "SKY____" compound words: - SKYSCRAPER - yes, definitely - SKYDIVE - yes, definitely - SKYLARK - yes, it's a bird species - SKYROCKET - yes, means to increase rapidly The party foods: - CHIP - potato chips, tortilla chips - DIP - various dips (salsa, guacamole, spinach dip) - WING - chicken wings (buffalo wings) - FRY - french fries Both are strong, but I think the "SKY____" category is slightly more creative and fits the NYT Connections style. Let me go with that.

Perfect! Now I have just 4 words remaining: DIP, WING, FRY, CHIP These must form the final category. Let me verify they make sense together: - CHIP - potato chip, tortilla chip - DIP - salsa, guacamole, ranch dip - WING - chicken wing, buffalo wing - FRY - french fry These are all classic party foods, appetizers, or bar snacks! They're foods you'd typically find at a party, sports bar, or casual gathering. This has to be the final group.

Let me analyze the 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Available words: DIM, RICE, BROWN, LIGHT, FAINT, WHIP, SUN, BEAT, BLONDE, WHISK, POOL, PALE, WORD, BLACK, POLAR, CREAM Let me look for potential categories: 1. **Hair colors**: BROWN, BLONDE, BLACK could be hair colors. Need a 4th - maybe PALE? But pale isn't really a hair color. 2. **Mixing/cooking actions**: WHIP, BEAT, WHISK - these are all ways to mix ingredients. Need a 4th - CREAM? "Cream" can be a verb meaning to beat together. 3. **Light intensity/brightness**: DIM, FAINT, PALE, LIGHT - these all relate to levels of brightness or intensity. 4. **Types of bears**: POLAR (polar bear), BROWN (brown bear), BLACK (black bear), SUN (sun bear) - this looks very promising! 5. **Words that can follow "SWIMMING"**: POOL could work with swimming pool. 6. **Words that can precede or follow other words**: - RICE: rice paper, rice bowl - POOL: pool table, car pool - WORD: word play, crossword Let me reconsider the BEAR connection: - POLAR bear ✓ - BROWN bear ✓ - BLACK bear ✓ - SUN bear ✓ This seems like a very strong category! These are all types of bears. The cooking verbs also seem strong: - WHIP (whip cream) - BEAT (beat eggs) - WHISK (whisk batter) - CREAM (cream butter and sugar) The light/brightness category: - DIM - FAINT - PALE - LIGHT Let me start with the bears category as it seems most certain.

Great! The bear types were correct. Now I have 12 words remaining: DIM, RICE, LIGHT, FAINT, WHIP, BEAT, BLONDE, WHISK, POOL, PALE, WORD, CREAM Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Cooking/mixing verbs**: WHIP, BEAT, WHISK, CREAM - WHIP: whip cream, whip eggs - BEAT: beat eggs, beat batter - WHISK: whisk ingredients - CREAM: cream butter and sugar together These are all verbs for mixing ingredients in cooking. 2. **Light intensity/faintness**: DIM, FAINT, PALE, LIGHT - DIM: not bright - FAINT: weak, not strong - PALE: lacking color/intensity - LIGHT: not heavy/intense These all describe low intensity or weakness. 3. **Remaining words**: RICE, BLONDE, POOL, WORD Let me think about what RICE, BLONDE, POOL, WORD could have in common... - Could they all precede or follow a common word? - RICE PAPER, BLONDE..., POOL TABLE, WORD... - Or: ...RICE, ...BLONDE, ...POOL, ...WORD Wait, could these be types of something? - RICE KRISPIES - POOL TABLE - WORD PROCESSOR - BLONDE... Hmm, let me stick with my stronger categories first. The cooking verbs seem very solid.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: DIM, RICE, LIGHT, FAINT, BLONDE, POOL, PALE, WORD Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Light intensity/weakness**: DIM, FAINT, PALE, LIGHT - DIM: not bright, weak light - FAINT: weak, barely perceptible - PALE: lacking intensity of color - LIGHT: can mean not intense, gentle These all describe low intensity or weakness. 2. **Remaining**: RICE, BLONDE, POOL, WORD What could RICE, BLONDE, POOL, WORD have in common? Let me think about compound words or phrases: - RICE: rice paper, rice pudding, rice cake - BLONDE: blonde hair, platinum blonde - POOL: pool table, car pool, swimming pool - WORD: word play, password, keyword Wait... could they all go with PAPER? - RICE PAPER ✓ - BLONDE... no - POOL... no - WORD... no Could they all be types of something or all precede/follow the same word? Hmm, let me think differently. Could they be: - ____ CAKE: RICE CAKE, POUND CAKE... no - ____ TABLE: POOL TABLE... Actually, I'm most confident in the DIM, FAINT, PALE, LIGHT group as they all relate to low intensity or weakness. Let me go with that.

Perfect! Now I'm left with the final 4 words: RICE, BLONDE, POOL, WORD These must form the last category. Let me figure out what they have in common. Possible connections: - Could they all precede a common word? - RICE ___ - BLONDE ___ - POOL ___ - WORD ___ - Could they all follow a common word? - ___ RICE - ___ BLONDE - ___ POOL - ___ WORD Let me think about common patterns: - DIRTY RICE, DIRTY BLONDE, DIRTY POOL, DIRTY WORD - Hmm, "dirty word" works, "dirty blonde" works, but "dirty pool" and "dirty rice" - actually these could all work! "Dirty pool" means unfair play, "dirty rice" is a dish, "dirty blonde" is a hair color, "dirty word" is profanity. Wait, that could be it! They can all be preceded by "DIRTY": - DIRTY RICE (Cajun dish) - DIRTY BLONDE (hair color) - DIRTY POOL (unfair tactics) - DIRTY WORD (profanity/taboo word) This seems very plausible for a NYT Connections puzzle!

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: COCO, PEA, CHEST, BROWN, HAZEL, GROUNDS, FICTION, HEAD, CHAIR, CHIEF, FIELD, GREEN, DIRECTOR, DOGS, UNCHAINED, LAWN Let me consider potential categories: 1. **Quentin Tarantino movies (with a word missing)**: - PULP Fiction - RESERVOIR Dogs - DJANGO Unchained - JACKIE Brown This doesn't quite work with the available words... 2. **Colors or things that can be colors**: - BROWN, HAZEL, GREEN - these are colors - PEA (pea green?) 3. **Types of heads/leaders**: - HEAD, CHIEF, DIRECTOR, CHAIR - these could all refer to leadership positions 4. **Coffee-related terms**: - GROUNDS (coffee grounds) - Could others fit? 5. **Word pairs that go with a common word**: - Let me think about what could precede or follow these words... Looking at potential "____ HEAD" combinations: - No clear pattern Looking at "_____ CHAIR": - LAWN chair - Could others work? 6. **Tarantino films missing first word**: - PULP Fiction - RESERVOIR Dogs - DJANGO Unchained - JACKIE Brown Wait, I see FICTION, DOGS, UNCHAINED, BROWN - these could be parts of Tarantino movie titles! 7. **Eye colors**: - BROWN, HAZEL, GREEN - these are eye colors - Could there be a fourth? 8. **Things that can be "NUT"**: - COCO (coconut) - PEA (peanut) - HAZEL (hazelnut) - CHEST (chestnut) This looks very promising! Let me verify the NUT category: - COCOnut ✓ - PEAnut ✓ - HAZELnut ✓ - CHESTnut ✓ This seems like a strong category! These are all types of nuts when combined with "nut".

Great! Now I have 12 words remaining: BROWN, GROUNDS, FICTION, HEAD, CHAIR, CHIEF, FIELD, GREEN, DIRECTOR, DOGS, UNCHAINED, LAWN Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Tarantino movie titles (missing first word)**: - PULP Fiction - RESERVOIR Dogs - DJANGO Unchained - JACKIE Brown I see: FICTION, DOGS, UNCHAINED, BROWN This looks like a very strong match! 2. **Leadership/boss titles**: - HEAD, CHIEF, DIRECTOR, CHAIR These could all refer to leadership positions (Department Head, Chief Executive, Director, Chairman) 3. **Things that can follow a word**: - LAWN, FIELD, GREEN, GROUNDS Could these all relate to grass/outdoor spaces? 4. **Eye colors**: - BROWN, GREEN - but I only have 2 obvious ones left Let me focus on the Tarantino films: - "Pulp FICTION" ✓ - "Reservoir DOGS" ✓ - "Django UNCHAINED" ✓ - "Jackie BROWN" ✓ This seems very likely to be correct. These are all the second words of famous Quentin Tarantino movies.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: GROUNDS, HEAD, CHAIR, CHIEF, FIELD, GREEN, DIRECTOR, LAWN Let me analyze what's left: 1. **Leadership/boss titles**: - HEAD (department head, head of...) - CHIEF (chief executive, chief officer) - DIRECTOR (managing director, director of...) - CHAIR (chairman, chairperson) These all can refer to top leadership positions in organizations. 2. **Things related to grass/outdoor areas**: - GROUNDS (as in grounds of a property) - FIELD (grass field) - GREEN (putting green, village green) - LAWN (grass lawn) Both categories look very strong. Let me think about which is more likely: The leadership category: HEAD, CHIEF, DIRECTOR, CHAIR - These are all synonyms for a leader or top position - Very common in business contexts (Chief Executive, Director, Department Head, Chairman) The grass/outdoor category: GROUNDS, FIELD, GREEN, LAWN - These all relate to outdoor grassy areas - Could also be "types of grass areas" or "places with grass" Both seem equally valid. I think the leadership one might be slightly more straightforward as they're all direct synonyms for "boss" or "leader." Let me go with the leadership category first.

Perfect! That leaves the final 4 words: GROUNDS, FIELD, GREEN, LAWN These should be the last group. Let me verify the connection: - GROUNDS (coffee grounds, grounds of an estate) - FIELD (field of grass, playing field) - GREEN (putting green, village green, bowling green) - LAWN (grass lawn) These all relate to areas of grass or outdoor spaces. They could also all be types of grassy areas or places where grass grows. This must be the final category.

Let me analyze these 16 words for potential categories in the NYT Connections game. First, let me look for obvious patterns: 1. **Disney Princesses**: MERIDA (Brave), ARIEL (Little Mermaid), TIANA (Princess and the Frog), AURORA (Sleeping Beauty) - these are all Disney princess names. 2. **Fonts/Typefaces**: GEORGIA, VERDANA, ARIAL, IMPACT - these are all computer fonts. 3. **Gymnastics/Tumbling moves**: ARABESQUE, ROUNDOFF, SPLIT, AERIAL - these could be gymnastics or dance moves. 4. **Types of something (possibly geometric/mathematical)**: ANGULAR, LINEAR, VOLUMETRIC, AREAL - these could be types of measurements or mathematical concepts. Let me verify each category: **Disney Princesses**: MERIDA, ARIEL, TIANA, AURORA - Yes, all four are Disney princesses. **Fonts**: GEORGIA, VERDANA, ARIAL, IMPACT - All are well-known computer fonts (Microsoft fonts). **Gymnastics moves**: ARABESQUE (ballet/gymnastics position), ROUNDOFF (gymnastics move), SPLIT (gymnastics position), AERIAL (cartwheel without hands) - All gymnastics/acrobatic moves. **Adjective types**: ANGULAR, LINEAR, VOLUMETRIC, AREAL - These all describe types of measurements or properties (angular velocity, linear motion, volumetric analysis, areal density). I'm most confident about the Disney Princesses category as it's very clear and specific. Let me start with that.

Great! The Disney Princesses were correct. Now I have 12 words left: GEORGIA, ARABESQUE, IMPACT, VERDANA, ANGULAR, AREAL, AERIAL, ROUNDOFF, ARIAL, LINEAR, VOLUMETRIC, SPLIT Let me reconsider the remaining categories: 1. **Fonts/Typefaces**: GEORGIA, VERDANA, ARIAL, IMPACT - These are all computer fonts. This seems very solid. 2. **Gymnastics/Acrobatic moves**: ARABESQUE, ROUNDOFF, AERIAL, SPLIT - All are gymnastics or dance moves. 3. **Types/Descriptors**: ANGULAR, LINEAR, VOLUMETRIC, AREAL - These describe types of measurements or properties. Let me verify the fonts category more carefully: - GEORGIA - Yes, a serif font by Microsoft - VERDANA - Yes, a sans-serif font by Microsoft - ARIAL - Yes, a sans-serif font (very common) - IMPACT - Yes, a bold sans-serif font This is a very strong category. Fonts are a common NYT Connections category. The gymnastics moves: - ARABESQUE - ballet/gymnastics position - ROUNDOFF - like a cartwheel ending with feet together - AERIAL - cartwheel with no hands - SPLIT - legs spread apart position I'm very confident about the fonts category. Let me go with that next.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words left: ARABESQUE, ANGULAR, AREAL, AERIAL, ROUNDOFF, LINEAR, VOLUMETRIC, SPLIT Two likely categories remain: 1. **Gymnastics/Acrobatic moves**: ARABESQUE, ROUNDOFF, AERIAL, SPLIT - ARABESQUE - ballet/gymnastics position (one leg extended behind) - ROUNDOFF - gymnastics move (like a cartwheel ending with both feet together) - AERIAL - cartwheel without hands touching the ground - SPLIT - gymnastic position with legs extended in opposite directions 2. **Types of measurements/properties**: ANGULAR, LINEAR, VOLUMETRIC, AREAL - ANGULAR - relating to angles (angular velocity, angular momentum) - LINEAR - relating to lines (linear motion, linear measurement) - VOLUMETRIC - relating to volume (volumetric analysis) - AREAL - relating to area (areal density, areal extent) Both categories seem very strong. The gymnastics moves are all specific techniques or positions. The measurement types are all adjectives describing different dimensional properties. I think the gymnastics category is very solid - all four are well-known gymnastics/acrobatic moves. Let me go with that.

Perfect! That leaves the final 4 words: ANGULAR, AREAL, LINEAR, VOLUMETRIC These should form the last category. Let me verify: - ANGULAR - relating to angles - AREAL - relating to area - LINEAR - relating to lines/length - VOLUMETRIC - relating to volume These all describe types of measurements or properties in mathematics/physics. They represent different dimensional aspects: - LINEAR - 1-dimensional - AREAL - 2-dimensional (area) - VOLUMETRIC - 3-dimensional (volume) - ANGULAR - relating to angles/rotation This must be the final category!

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: STICK, WEDGE, QUALITY, COMPOUND, PLANT, CRUISE, BLEND, HOUSE, DEED, REMOTE, BIRTH, LODGE, TOKEN, CROSS, HOTEL, HYBRID Let me consider potential categories: 1. **Types of certificates/official documents**: BIRTH, DEED, QUALITY (certificate), TOKEN (certificate)? Hmm, TOKEN doesn't quite fit this pattern. 2. **Compound words with "CONTROL"**: BIRTH (control), CRUISE (control), REMOTE (control), QUALITY (control)? Yes! These can all precede "CONTROL": - Birth control - Cruise control - Remote control - Quality control 3. **Words that can follow "TOM"**: TOM CRUISE, TOMCAT? No, not enough. 4. **Types of accommodations/places to stay**: HOTEL, LODGE, HOUSE... need a 4th. COMPOUND (as in a residential compound)? 5. **Things that are mixed/combined**: BLEND, HYBRID, COMPOUND, CROSS (as in crossbreed)? These all relate to mixing or combining things. 6. **Shapes/forms**: WEDGE, CROSS, STICK... 7. **Words that can precede "HOUSE"**: PLANT (house), GUEST (house)? Let me think... TREE (house)? Not seeing 4 clear ones. Let me reconsider the mixing category: - BLEND - to mix - HYBRID - a mix of two things - COMPOUND - a combination - CROSS - as in crossbreed/cross-pollinate Or the "_____ CONTROL" pattern seems very strong: - BIRTH control - CRUISE control - REMOTE control - QUALITY control I'm most confident about the CONTROL group. Let me start with that.

Great! Now I have 12 words left: STICK, WEDGE, COMPOUND, PLANT, BLEND, HOUSE, DEED, LODGE, TOKEN, CROSS, HOTEL, HYBRID Let me reconsider the remaining categories: 1. **Words meaning "mix" or "combination"**: - BLEND - to mix - HYBRID - a mix of two things - COMPOUND - a combination - CROSS - as in crossbreed This seems like a strong category for words that mean mixing or combining. 2. **Types of accommodations/lodging**: - HOTEL - place to stay - LODGE - place to stay - HOUSE - place to live - Need a 4th... COMPOUND (residential compound)? 3. **Words that can follow "SKI"**: - SKI LODGE - SKI RESORT? (not here) Not enough. 4. **Words related to golf**: - WEDGE (golf club) - Hmm, need more. 5. **Words that can be verbs meaning "to place" or "to put"**: - STICK (to stick something) - LODGE (to lodge something) - PLANT (to plant something) - HOUSE (to house something/someone) These can all be verbs meaning to place or position something! Let me think about this verb category more carefully: - STICK - to stick/place something - LODGE - to lodge something (like a complaint or an object) - PLANT - to plant something (not just seeds, but also to place firmly) - HOUSE - to house/shelter something Or the mixing category: - BLEND - HYBRID - COMPOUND - CROSS I think the mixing/combination category is stronger and more clearly defined.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words left: STICK, WEDGE, PLANT, HOUSE, DEED, LODGE, TOKEN, HOTEL Let me analyze these remaining words: 1. **Types of accommodations/places to stay**: - HOTEL - place to stay - LODGE - place to stay - HOUSE - place to live - Need a 4th... I don't think STICK, WEDGE, PLANT, DEED, or TOKEN fit this well. 2. **Verbs meaning "to place/position"**: - STICK - to stick something somewhere - LODGE - to lodge something (place firmly) - PLANT - to plant something (place firmly) - HOUSE - to house something/someone This seems strong! All can be verbs meaning to place or position something. 3. **Words that can precede a common word**: Let me think... what about words that can come before "WARMING"? - HOUSE warming - Hmm, not seeing 4. 4. **Golf-related terms**: - WEDGE (golf club) - Not enough others. 5. **Words related to Monopoly**: - HOTEL (Monopoly piece) - HOUSE (Monopoly piece) - DEED (property deed in Monopoly) - TOKEN (game piece/token) This could be it! All are Monopoly-related items! Let me verify the Monopoly connection: - HOTEL - you place hotels on properties in Monopoly - HOUSE - you place houses on properties in Monopoly - DEED - property cards/deeds in Monopoly - TOKEN - game pieces (like the shoe, car, etc.) This seems very strong! I'll go with the Monopoly category.

Perfect! Now I have the final 4 words left: STICK, WEDGE, PLANT, LODGE Since these are the only 4 remaining words, they must form the last category. Let me figure out what connects them: 1. **Verbs meaning "to place/embed firmly"**: - STICK - to stick something in place - WEDGE - to wedge something in - PLANT - to plant something firmly - LODGE - to lodge something (become stuck or embedded) All of these can be verbs that mean to fix, embed, or position something firmly in place! 2. **Could they all follow or precede a common word?**: Let me think... STICK, WEDGE, PLANT, LODGE - Hmm, not immediately seeing a pattern here. 3. **Could they relate to shapes?**: - WEDGE is a shape - STICK is a shape - Not really for PLANT and LODGE The verb meaning "to embed/fix firmly in place" seems like the most logical connection. Since these are the last 4 words, this must be the answer!

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: FLEET, GATE, HATCH, DOOR, BETTER, INSET, PORTAL, DOWNING, MAIN, COMPASS, BEAT, KEY, SCALE, WALL, TOP, BEST Potential categories I can identify: 1. **Entryways/Openings**: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, PORTAL - these are all types of entryways or openings 2. **Streets in London/UK**: DOWNING (Downing Street), FLEET (Fleet Street), WALL (Wall Street - wait, that's NYC), MAIN (Main Street)... Actually, DOWNING Street, FLEET Street are famous London streets. Let me think about this more. 3. **Words that can follow "STREET"**: MAIN (Main Street), WALL (Wall Street), FLEET (Fleet Street), DOWNING (Downing Street) - this seems very strong! 4. **Synonyms for "defeat/surpass"**: BEAT, BEST, BETTER, TOP - these all mean to defeat or be superior to 5. **Map/Navigation related**: COMPASS, SCALE, KEY (map key), INSET (map inset) - these are all parts of a map Let me prioritize: - The STREET category seems very strong: MAIN, WALL, FLEET, DOWNING - The "defeat" synonyms also seems strong: BEAT, BEST, BETTER, TOP - The map elements: COMPASS, SCALE, KEY, INSET - The entryways: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, PORTAL I'll start with what seems most confident - the famous streets that can follow "_____ Street": MAIN Street, WALL Street, FLEET Street, DOWNING Street

Great! MAIN, WALL, FLEET, DOWNING were correct - they were famous streets. Remaining words: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, BETTER, INSET, PORTAL, COMPASS, BEAT, KEY, SCALE, TOP, BEST Now let me reconsider the remaining categories: 1. **Synonyms for "defeat/surpass"**: BEAT, BEST, BETTER, TOP - these all can mean to defeat or be superior to someone/something 2. **Map elements**: COMPASS, SCALE, KEY, INSET - these are all standard features found on maps - COMPASS (compass rose showing directions) - SCALE (shows distance ratio) - KEY (legend explaining symbols) - INSET (smaller detailed map within the main map) 3. **Entryways/Openings**: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, PORTAL - all types of entryways Let me think about which is most solid: The map elements category seems very strong and specific - COMPASS, SCALE, KEY, INSET are all standard components of a map. The "defeat" category is also strong: BEAT, BEST, BETTER, TOP all work as verbs meaning to surpass or defeat. The entryways category: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, PORTAL - all openings/passages. I'll go with the map elements as it seems most precise and technical.

Excellent! COMPASS, SCALE, KEY, INSET were map elements. Remaining words: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, BETTER, PORTAL, BEAT, TOP, BEST Now I have 8 words left, which should form 2 groups of 4. 1. **Synonyms for "defeat/surpass"**: BEAT, BEST, BETTER, TOP - BEAT (to defeat) - BEST (to defeat or outdo) - BETTER (to surpass or improve upon) - TOP (to exceed or surpass) 2. **Entryways/Openings**: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, PORTAL - GATE (entrance/exit) - HATCH (opening, especially in a ship or floor) - DOOR (entryway) - PORTAL (doorway/entrance) Both categories seem very solid. Let me think if there could be any other pattern... Could any of these words relate differently? - PORTAL could be tech-related (web portal) - HATCH could be a verb (to hatch an egg) - BEAT could be music-related (a beat in music) - TOP could be a garment or spinning toy But the two categories I identified seem most coherent. I'll go with the "defeat/surpass" verbs first since they all clearly work as synonyms.

Perfect! BEAT, BEST, BETTER, TOP were all verbs meaning to defeat or surpass. Remaining words: GATE, HATCH, DOOR, PORTAL These are the last 4 words, so they must form the final category. All of these are types of entryways or openings: - GATE: an entrance or exit, typically in a fence or wall - HATCH: an opening in a floor, roof, or ship's deck - DOOR: a hinged barrier used to close off an entrance - PORTAL: a doorway, gate, or entrance, especially a grand one This should be the final answer.

Let me analyze the 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Available words: SEAL, ROB, EAR, NOSE, BULB, CABIN, WING, ENGINE, STIFF, STALK, HONEYCOMB, HOSE, CRAYON, CANDLE, HEAD, FLEECE Let me consider potential categories: 1. **Parts of an airplane**: CABIN, WING, ENGINE, NOSE (the nose cone of a plane) - This seems very strong! 2. **Things made of wax**: CANDLE, CRAYON, HONEYCOMB, SEAL (wax seal), EAR (earwax?) - CANDLE, CRAYON, HONEYCOMB, and potentially SEAL could all be wax-related 3. **Body parts**: EAR, NOSE, HEAD - Only 3, need a 4th 4. **Words that can follow "GARDEN"**: HOSE (garden hose), ... - Need more examples 5. **Things with patterns/textures**: HONEYCOMB (pattern), FLEECE (texture) - Not enough 6. **Verbs in past tense or actions**: ROB, SEAL, FLEECE (to fleece someone = rob), STIFF (to stiff someone) - ROB, FLEECE, STIFF could all mean to cheat/steal from someone - SEAL doesn't fit this as well 7. **"_____ of corn"**: EAR (ear of corn), STALK (corn stalk) - Only 2 Wait, let me reconsider: - **Things that can be "wax"**: CANDLE (wax candle), CRAYON (wax crayon), SEAL (wax seal), HONEYCOMB (bees make it from wax) Let me reconsider the airplane parts more carefully: - NOSE (nose of plane) - WING (wing of plane) - CABIN (cabin of plane) - ENGINE (engine of plane) - This is a very strong category! I'll start with the airplane parts as it seems most certain.

Great! Now I have 12 words remaining: SEAL, ROB, EAR, BULB, STIFF, STALK, HONEYCOMB, HOSE, CRAYON, CANDLE, HEAD, FLEECE Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Things made of/with wax**: - CANDLE (wax candle) - CRAYON (wax crayon) - SEAL (wax seal) - HONEYCOMB (made from beeswax) This seems very strong! 2. **Verbs meaning to cheat/rob someone**: - ROB (to rob someone) - FLEECE (to fleece someone = swindle) - STIFF (to stiff someone = not pay/tip) - HEAD (?) - doesn't fit Need to find a 4th 3. **Things that can follow a specific word**: - EAR (cauliflower ear? ear of corn?) - BULB (light bulb, flower bulb) - STALK (corn stalk, celery stalk) - HEAD (lettuce head, cabbage head) Wait! Vegetables: - EAR (ear of corn) - BULB (garlic bulb, onion bulb) - STALK (celery stalk) - HEAD (head of lettuce/cabbage) These could all be parts of vegetables or ways vegetables grow! 4. **Remaining after those**: ROB, STIFF, HONEYCOMB, HOSE, CRAYON, CANDLE, SEAL, FLEECE Let me think about the wax connection more: - CANDLE, CRAYON, SEAL, HONEYCOMB - all strongly associated with wax I think the wax group is very strong. Let me go with that.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: ROB, EAR, BULB, STIFF, STALK, HOSE, HEAD, FLEECE Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Vegetable parts/units**: - EAR (ear of corn) - BULB (bulb of garlic/onion) - STALK (stalk of celery) - HEAD (head of lettuce/cabbage) This seems very strong - all ways to refer to units or parts of vegetables! 2. **Verbs meaning to cheat/swindle**: - ROB (to rob someone) - FLEECE (to fleece someone = swindle/overcharge) - STIFF (to stiff someone = not pay what's owed) - HOSE (to hose someone = cheat/swindle) This could work! "Hose" can mean to cheat or swindle someone. If the vegetable group is correct, that would leave: ROB, STIFF, HOSE, FLEECE And those four could all be verbs meaning to cheat or swindle! Let me go with the vegetable parts first as it seems very clear:

Perfect! Now I have the final 4 words remaining: ROB, STIFF, HOSE, FLEECE These should all form the last group. Let me verify the connection: - ROB (to rob someone = steal from) - FLEECE (to fleece someone = swindle/overcharge/cheat) - STIFF (to stiff someone = cheat them out of payment, not tip) - HOSE (to hose someone = cheat/swindle/rip off) All four are verbs that mean to cheat, swindle, or take advantage of someone financially! This must be the final group.

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: HITCH, HURDLE, BEND, TAIL, BUNK, CROCK, POLE, SHEEPSHANK, BATON, HORNS, BOWLINE, HOGWASH, PITCHFORK, GOATEE, HAMMER, HORSEFEATHERS Let me identify potential categories: 1. **Types of knots**: HITCH, SHEEPSHANK, BOWLINE, BEND - These are all sailing/rope knots - Hitch: a type of knot - Sheepshank: a type of knot - Bowline: a type of knot - Bend: a type of knot (used to join two ropes) 2. **Words meaning "nonsense"**: BUNK, CROCK, HOGWASH, HORSEFEATHERS - Bunk: nonsense - Crock: nonsense (as in "what a crock") - Hogwash: nonsense - Horsefeathers: nonsense (exclamation meaning rubbish) 3. **Track and field events**: HURDLE, POLE, HAMMER, BATON - Hurdles (race) - Pole vault - Hammer throw - Baton (relay race) Wait, BATON might not fit as well since it's used in relay but isn't the name of the event itself. 4. **Things associated with goats/animals**: - GOATEE (beard style named after goat) - HORNS (goats have horns) - PITCHFORK (devil imagery, could be connected?) Let me reconsider: The knots category seems very strong: HITCH, SHEEPSHANK, BOWLINE, BEND The nonsense category also seems strong: BUNK, CROCK, HOGWASH, HORSEFEATHERS Track and field: HURDLE, POLE (vault), HAMMER (throw), and possibly BATON (relay) or TAIL (?) Let me start with the category I'm most confident about - the knots.

Great! The knots category was correct. Now I have 12 words remaining: HURDLE, TAIL, BUNK, CROCK, POLE, BATON, HORNS, HOGWASH, PITCHFORK, GOATEE, HAMMER, HORSEFEATHERS Let me reconsider the categories: 1. **Words meaning "nonsense/rubbish"**: BUNK, CROCK, HOGWASH, HORSEFEATHERS - Bunk: nonsense (as in "debunk" or "that's bunk") - Crock: nonsense (as in "what a crock") - Hogwash: nonsense/rubbish - Horsefeathers: nonsense (old-fashioned exclamation) This seems very strong. 2. **Track and field events**: HURDLE, POLE, HAMMER, and possibly BATON - Hurdle/Hurdles - Pole vault - Hammer throw - Baton relay? (though the event is "relay" not "baton") 3. **Things that can follow "devil's"**: - Devil's HORNS (hand gesture) - Devil's PITCHFORK - Devil's TAIL - Hmm, what else? GOATEE? (devils depicted with goatees) Let me think about other patterns: - Could TAIL, HORNS, PITCHFORK, GOATEE all be devil-related imagery? - Or animal body parts/features? Actually, I'm most confident about the "nonsense" category. Let me go with that.

Excellent! Two down. Now I have 8 words remaining: HURDLE, TAIL, POLE, BATON, HORNS, PITCHFORK, GOATEE, HAMMER Let me look for patterns: 1. **Track and field events**: HURDLE, POLE, HAMMER, BATON - Hurdles (running event) - Pole vault - Hammer throw - Baton (used in relay races) This seems like a strong category. 2. **Devil/demon imagery**: TAIL, HORNS, PITCHFORK, GOATEE - Devils are depicted with a tail - Devils are depicted with horns - Devils are depicted with a pitchfork - Devils are depicted with a goatee This also seems very strong! Both categories seem equally plausible. Let me think about which is more likely to be the intended connection. The devil imagery seems more thematic and specific - all four items are traditional visual elements associated with depictions of the devil or demons in art and popular culture. The track and field category is also solid, but BATON is a bit of a stretch since the event is "relay race" not "baton race" - though the baton is the key equipment. I think the devil imagery is more cohesive, so I'll go with that first.

Perfect! Three categories down. I have 4 words remaining: HURDLE, POLE, BATON, HAMMER These must be the final group. Let me verify the connection: **Track and field events/equipment**: - HURDLE - hurdles race - POLE - pole vault - HAMMER - hammer throw - BATON - relay race (the baton is passed) All of these are associated with track and field athletics. This must be the final category.

Let me analyze these 16 words for potential categories in the NYT Connections game. Available words: AIRBRUSH, SOLAR PANEL, TOUCH UP, TINSEL, PAMPLEMOUSSE, HONEYCOMB, CANDY CANE, STRING LIGHTS, FIX, ANGEL, VINAIGRETTE, PAIN, PHOTOSHOP, SPREADSHEET, ORGANISM, CORNICHON Let me look for patterns: 1. **Christmas/Holiday decorations**: TINSEL, CANDY CANE, STRING LIGHTS, ANGEL - these are all classic Christmas tree decorations 2. **Photo editing terms**: AIRBRUSH, TOUCH UP, FIX, PHOTOSHOP - these could all relate to editing/retouching photos 3. **French words**: PAMPLEMOUSSE (grapefruit), VINAIGRETTE, PAIN (bread), CORNICHON (pickle) - these are all French food-related words 4. **Things with hexagonal patterns/cells**: SOLAR PANEL, HONEYCOMB, SPREADSHEET, ORGANISM - this is less clear, but HONEYCOMB has hexagonal cells, SPREADSHEET has cells, SOLAR PANEL has cells, and ORGANISM has cells Let me reconsider the last group. Actually, thinking about it: - HONEYCOMB has cells - SPREADSHEET has cells - SOLAR PANEL has cells (photovoltaic cells) - ORGANISM has cells (biological cells) This seems like a strong category: things that have CELLS. I'm most confident about the Christmas decorations group, as those are very clearly related. Let me start with the Christmas decorations since that seems like the strongest connection.

Great! Now I have 12 words remaining: AIRBRUSH, SOLAR PANEL, TOUCH UP, PAMPLEMOUSSE, HONEYCOMB, FIX, VINAIGRETTE, PAIN, PHOTOSHOP, SPREADSHEET, ORGANISM, CORNICHON Let me reconsider the remaining categories: 1. **Photo editing/retouching**: AIRBRUSH, TOUCH UP, FIX, PHOTOSHOP - these all relate to editing or improving images 2. **French food words**: PAMPLEMOUSSE (grapefruit), VINAIGRETTE (salad dressing), PAIN (bread), CORNICHON (pickle) - all French words related to food 3. **Things with CELLS**: SOLAR PANEL (photovoltaic cells), HONEYCOMB (hexagonal cells), SPREADSHEET (grid cells), ORGANISM (biological cells) All three categories seem quite strong. Let me think about which is most likely: The French words category is very clear - these are all common French words: - PAMPLEMOUSSE = grapefruit - VINAIGRETTE = vinaigrette/salad dressing - PAIN = bread - CORNICHON = pickle/gherkin The photo editing category also makes sense: - PHOTOSHOP = photo editing software - AIRBRUSH = retouching technique - TOUCH UP = to improve/fix - FIX = to correct/repair The cells category: - SOLAR PANEL = has photovoltaic cells - HONEYCOMB = has hexagonal cells - SPREADSHEET = has data cells - ORGANISM = has biological cells I think I'll go with the French words next, as that's a very clean category.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: AIRBRUSH, SOLAR PANEL, TOUCH UP, HONEYCOMB, FIX, PHOTOSHOP, SPREADSHEET, ORGANISM Let me reconsider the two remaining categories: 1. **Photo editing/retouching**: AIRBRUSH, TOUCH UP, FIX, PHOTOSHOP - these all relate to editing or improving images 2. **Things with CELLS**: SOLAR PANEL (photovoltaic cells), HONEYCOMB (hexagonal cells), SPREADSHEET (grid cells), ORGANISM (biological cells) Both categories use exactly 4 words from my remaining 8, which is perfect. Let me verify the photo editing category: - PHOTOSHOP = the famous photo editing software - AIRBRUSH = a tool/technique used in photo retouching - TOUCH UP = to make small improvements/corrections to a photo - FIX = to correct or repair (commonly used in photo editing context) And the cells category: - SOLAR PANEL = contains photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity - HONEYCOMB = structure made of hexagonal wax cells - SPREADSHEET = grid of cells containing data - ORGANISM = living thing made of biological cells Both seem equally strong. I'll go with the photo editing category as it seems like a more typical NYT Connections theme.

Perfect! Now I have the final 4 words remaining: SOLAR PANEL, HONEYCOMB, SPREADSHEET, ORGANISM These should be the last category, and based on my earlier analysis, they should all be things that have CELLS: - SOLAR PANEL = has photovoltaic cells - HONEYCOMB = has hexagonal wax cells - SPREADSHEET = has data/grid cells - ORGANISM = has biological cells This is the remaining group, so it must be correct!

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Available words: DOMINO, LUXOR, PERIMETER, ENCORE, LENGTH, OWES, CROSSWORD, EASE, VOLUME, AREA, ARS, ORCA, OREO, EXCALIBUR, ARIA, AYES Let me look for potential categories: 1. **Las Vegas Casinos/Hotels**: LUXOR (Egyptian-themed casino), EXCALIBUR (medieval-themed casino), ARIA (luxury casino), ENCORE (Wynn casino property). These are all famous Las Vegas hotels/casinos. 2. **Mathematical/Geometric terms**: PERIMETER, LENGTH, VOLUME, AREA - these are all measurements or geometric properties. 3. **Words with hidden words or anagrams**: Let me check... - OWES → contains "OWE" - AYES → contains "AYE" or "YES" - ARS → contains "AR" - EASE → contains "EASE" 4. **Cookies/Brands**: OREO is a cookie brand, DOMINO could be sugar brand... 5. **Palindromes or word patterns**: Let me check if any words contain specific patterns... 6. **Words containing "OR"**: OREO, ORCA, ENCORE, LUXOR, PERIMETER, CROSSWORD... too many 7. **Musical terms**: ARIA is an operatic song, ARS could be part of "ars" (art)... The strongest pattern I see is the **Las Vegas casinos**: LUXOR, EXCALIBUR, ARIA, ENCORE - these are all well-known Las Vegas casino/hotel properties. The second strongest is **geometric measurements**: PERIMETER, LENGTH, VOLUME, AREA - all mathematical terms for measuring dimensions. Let me go with the Las Vegas casinos first as this seems very specific and clear.

Great! Now I have 12 words remaining: DOMINO, PERIMETER, LENGTH, OWES, CROSSWORD, EASE, VOLUME, AREA, ARS, ORCA, OREO, AYES Let me analyze these: 1. **Geometric/Mathematical measurements**: PERIMETER, LENGTH, VOLUME, AREA - these are all dimensional measurements or geometric properties. This is a very clear category. 2. **Words ending in similar sounds or patterns**: - DOMINO, ORCA, OREO - end in "O" - OWES, AYES - end in similar sounds 3. **Anagrams or hidden words**: Let me check if these words are anagrams of each other or contain hidden words: - OWES - anagram of "WOES" - AYES - anagram of "EASY", "YEAS" - EASE - anagram of "AYES" - ARS - anagram of "SAR" 4. **Words that can follow or precede a common word**: - CROSSWORD puzzle - DOMINO effect - Could any of these work together? 5. **Black and white things**: ORCA (black and white whale), OREO (black and white cookie), DOMINO (black and white tiles), CROSSWORD (black and white grid) The **black and white** category is interesting! Let me think: - ORCA - black and white marine mammal - OREO - black and white cookie - DOMINO - black and white gaming pieces - CROSSWORD - black and white puzzle grid This seems like a strong thematic connection! But the **geometric measurements** (PERIMETER, LENGTH, VOLUME, AREA) is extremely solid and straightforward. I'll go with the geometric measurements as it's the most concrete category.

Excellent! Now I have 8 words remaining: DOMINO, OWES, CROSSWORD, EASE, ARS, ORCA, OREO, AYES Let me analyze these carefully: 1. **Black and white things**: - ORCA - black and white whale - OREO - black and white cookie - DOMINO - black and white pieces - CROSSWORD - black and white grid This seems like a very strong thematic connection! 2. **Anagrams**: Let me check if any are anagrams of each other: - OWES = anagram of WOES - AYES = anagram of EASE? No, EASE has different letters (E-A-S-E vs A-Y-E-S) - Let me be more careful... 3. **Words containing specific letter patterns**: - Looking at: DOMINO, OWES, CROSSWORD, EASE, ARS, ORCA, OREO, AYES 4. **Homophones or sound-alikes**: - AYES sounds like "eyes" or "I's" - ARS sounds like "R's" - OWES sounds like "O's" - EASE sounds like "E's" Wait! This could be it - words that sound like letter names: - AYES = I's (plural of the letter I) - ARS = R's (plural of the letter R) - OWES = O's (plural of the letter O) - EASE = E's (plural of the letter E) This is a clever wordplay category! Each word sounds like the plural of a letter name. Let me verify: - AYES (pronounced "eyes") = I's - ARS (pronounced "arz") = R's - OWES (pronounced "oze") = O's - EASE (pronounced "eez") = E's Yes! This seems very likely for a NYT Connections puzzle - they love this kind of wordplay. I'll go with this guess.

Perfect! Now I have the final 4 words remaining: DOMINO, CROSSWORD, ORCA, OREO These must form the last category. Let me figure out what connects them: 1. **Black and white things**: - ORCA - black and white whale/marine mammal - OREO - black and white cookie - DOMINO - black and white gaming pieces/tiles - CROSSWORD - black and white puzzle grid This seems like the most obvious connection - they are all things that are characteristically black and white in appearance. 2. **Other potential connections**: - Games/Puzzles: DOMINO (game), CROSSWORD (puzzle) - but ORCA and OREO don't fit - Brand names: OREO (Nabisco cookie), DOMINO (sugar brand?) - but CROSSWORD and ORCA don't fit as well - Words with repeated letters: CROSSWORD has double S, OREO has double O... not consistent enough The black and white theme is definitely the strongest and most cohesive connection for all four words. Since these are the last 4 words, they must be the answer by default, but the black and white connection makes perfect sense!

Let me analyze these 16 words to find groups of 4 that share a common category. Looking at the words: PUMP, WAFFLE, SPEAK, FLAT, NATURAL, VOTE, STEAM, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE, CHOICE, WHOLE, VOICE, QUARTER, TIRE, SAY Potential categories I can see: 1. **Types of shoes/footwear**: PUMP (pump shoes), FLAT (flat shoes), HEEL (high heels), WAFFLE (waffle stompers?) - but WAFFLE seems weak here 2. **Words that can follow "IRON"**: PUMP (iron pump?), FLAT (flat iron for hair), WAFFLE (waffle iron), STEAM (steam iron) - this looks promising! 3. **Verbs related to speaking/expressing**: SPEAK, VOICE, SAY, VOTE (as in expressing opinion) 4. **Words that can go before "MILK"**: WHOLE (whole milk), SHAKE (milk shake), STEAM (steamed milk), PUMP (breast pump for milk?) - possible 5. **Musical note types**: WHOLE (whole note), HALF, QUARTER (quarter note), NATURAL (natural note) - but I don't see HALF... wait, could these be music terms? 6. **Things that can be "DOWN"**: let me think about compound words with DOWN 7. **Words that can precede "NOTE"**: QUARTER (quarter note), WHOLE (whole note), VOICE (voice note), FLAT (flat note) - this could work! Let me reconsider the IRON connection: - FLAT IRON (hair straightener) - WAFFLE IRON (cooking appliance) - STEAM IRON (clothing iron) - TIRE IRON (tool for changing tires) This seems like a very strong category! All are types of irons or tools/appliances with "iron" in the name. Let me go with this first as it seems most concrete.

Okay, so FLAT, WAFFLE, STEAM, TIRE wasn't correct. Let me reconsider. Available words: PUMP, WAFFLE, SPEAK, FLAT, NATURAL, VOTE, STEAM, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE, CHOICE, WHOLE, VOICE, QUARTER, TIRE, SAY Let me think about other patterns: 1. **Musical notes/terms**: - FLAT (musical flat) - NATURAL (natural note) - WHOLE (whole note) - QUARTER (quarter note) This is a very strong musical connection! 2. **Words related to expressing opinion/speaking**: - SPEAK - VOICE - SAY - VOTE All relate to expressing oneself or having a say in something. 3. **Things that can be "PUMP"**: - FIST PUMP - HEAT PUMP - STOMACH PUMP - BIKE PUMP 4. **Shoes**: - PUMP (pump shoe) - FLAT (flat shoe) - HEEL (high heel) - WAFFLE (waffle stomper? or wedge?) 5. **Words that go with "MILK"**: - WHOLE (whole milk) - SHAKE (milk shake) - STEAM (steamed milk) - PUMP (breast pump) Let me try the musical notes category as it seems very solid: FLAT, NATURAL, WHOLE, QUARTER - all are types of musical notation/notes.

Great! FLAT, NATURAL, WHOLE, QUARTER were musical terms. Remaining words: PUMP, WAFFLE, SPEAK, VOTE, STEAM, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE, CHOICE, VOICE, TIRE, SAY Let me look for the next category: 1. **Words related to expressing opinion/speaking**: - SPEAK - VOICE - SAY - VOTE All relate to expressing oneself. "Have a say," "have a voice," "speak up," "vote" - all about expression. 2. **Types of shoes**: - PUMP (pump shoe) - HEEL (high heel shoe) - Maybe others? 3. **Words that can precede a common word**: - Let me think about compounds... 4. **Words that can follow "HAND"**: - SHAKE (handshake) - PUMP (hand pump) - VOTE (hand vote? not really) 5. **Breakfast foods or waffle-related**: - WAFFLE - STEAM (?) - This seems weak 6. **Action verbs**: - PUMP, WAFFLE (to waffle = to be indecisive), SPEAK, VOTE, STEAM, SHAKE, TIRE, SAY Let me focus on the "expressing opinion/having influence" category: - SPEAK (speak your mind) - VOICE (voice your opinion, have a voice) - SAY (have a say in something) - VOTE (cast a vote, have a vote) This seems like a strong thematic connection about having input or expressing oneself.

Okay, that wasn't right. Let me reconsider the remaining words more carefully. Remaining words: PUMP, WAFFLE, VOTE, STEAM, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE, CHOICE, VOICE, TIRE, SAY Let me think about different patterns: 1. **Words that can follow a common word**: - Let me try "RUN" - RUN DOWN, RUN STEAM (no), etc. 2. **Words that can precede a common word**: - Try "ROOM": STEAM ROOM, PUMP ROOM, VOICE (voiceover room?), SHAKE (no) - Try "BOAT": STEAM BOAT, PUMP BOAT (no) 3. **Compound words with "DOWN"**: - DOWN (the word itself) - SHAKE DOWN - HEEL (dig your heels down?) - VOTE DOWN 4. **Words that can be verbs meaning "to exhaust" or "wear out"**: - TIRE (to tire someone) - WEAR - STEAM (run out of steam) - SAP 5. **Types of dances or dance moves**: - SHAKE (like shake it) - PUMP (pump it up) - WAFFLE (no) 6. **Words that can come before "SHAKE"**: - MILK SHAKE - HAND SHAKE - But I need 4... 7. **Breakfast items**: - WAFFLE - STEAM (steamed something?) - SHAKE (breakfast shake?) - CHOICE (?) 8. **Words that rhyme or sound similar**: - SHAKE, WAFFLE, STEAM, HEEL don't rhyme Wait, let me think about "PROTEIN ___": - PROTEIN SHAKE - PROTEIN PUMP (muscle pump?) Or maybe words that go before "HOUSE": - PUMP HOUSE - STEAM HOUSE - CHOICE (no) - WAFFLE HOUSE! Let me try: PUMP, STEAM, WAFFLE, and... what else could be a "HOUSE"? - VOICE (no) - HEEL (no) - TIRE (no) - CHOICE (no) Hmm, only three work. Let me reconsider - what about shoe types: - PUMP (pump shoe) - HEEL (heel shoe/high heel) - WAFFLE (waffle stomper boots) - CHOICE (?) Or words related to indecision/hesitation: - WAFFLE (to waffle = be indecisive) - SHAKE (to shake = be uncertain) - TIRE (?) - CHOICE (?) Let me think about "ACHILLES ___": - ACHILLES HEEL - ACHILLES (?) Or body parts that can be in idioms: - HEEL (Achilles heel, dig in your heels) - VOICE (voice of reason) - CHOICE (?) Wait - what about things you can "GIVE someone": - GIVE someone the VOICE - GIVE someone a CHOICE - GIVE someone SAY - GIVE someone a VOTE Or "HAVE A ___": - HAVE A VOICE - HAVE A CHOICE - HAVE A SAY - HAVE A VOTE This seems very strong! All are things you can "have" in terms of agency/input.

Excellent! VOICE, CHOICE, SAY, VOTE were all things you can "have" (have a voice, have a choice, have a say, have a vote). Remaining words: PUMP, WAFFLE, STEAM, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE, TIRE Let me look for patterns in these 7 words (I need to find 4): 1. **Types of shoes**: - PUMP (pump shoe) - HEEL (high heel) - WAFFLE (waffle stomper?) - But I need a 4th... FLAT was already used 2. **Words that can precede "HOUSE"**: - WAFFLE (Waffle House - the restaurant) - PUMP (pump house) - STEAM (steam house/bath house) - TIRE (tire house? no) - SHAKE (shake house? no) 3. **Words that can follow "HAND"**: - SHAKE (handshake) - PUMP (hand pump) - DOWN (hand down) - HEEL (?) - TIRE (?) 4. **Types of _____ or things that can be "RUN"**: - RUN DOWN (to run down) - RUN TIRE (no) - RUN STEAM (run out of steam) 5. **Action verbs**: - PUMP (to pump) - WAFFLE (to waffle - be indecisive) - STEAM (to steam - be angry or cook) - SHAKE (to shake) - TIRE (to tire - become exhausted) - DOWN (to down - drink quickly) - HEEL (to heel - for a dog) 6. **Words that can come before "IRON"**: - WAFFLE (waffle iron) - STEAM (steam iron) - TIRE (tire iron) - PUMP (iron pump? bicycle pump?) Wait, I tried this before and it was wrong, but maybe I had the wrong combination. Let me reconsider: - WAFFLE IRON - STEAM IRON - TIRE IRON - PUMP IRON (to pump iron = lift weights!) Yes! PUMP IRON is definitely a phrase! This could be it.

Perfect! PUMP, WAFFLE, STEAM, TIRE all go before "IRON" (pump iron, waffle iron, steam iron, tire iron). Remaining words: HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE Wait, that's only 3 words left, but I need 4 for a guess. Let me recount... Original 16 words: PUMP, WAFFLE, SPEAK, FLAT, NATURAL, VOTE, STEAM, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE, CHOICE, WHOLE, VOICE, QUARTER, TIRE, SAY First correct group (4): FLAT, NATURAL, WHOLE, QUARTER Second correct group (4): VOICE, CHOICE, SAY, VOTE Third correct group (4): PUMP, WAFFLE, STEAM, TIRE That's 12 words used. Remaining should be: SPEAK, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE So the final four words are: SPEAK, HEEL, DOWN, SHAKE Let me think about what connects these: - SPEAK (verb - to talk) - HEEL (noun - part of foot/shoe, or verb - for a dog to heel) - DOWN (preposition/adverb, or verb - to down a drink, or noun - like down feathers) - SHAKE (verb - to shake, or noun - a shake) What could connect these? 1. Commands you give to a dog: - HEEL (heel!) - DOWN (down!) - SPEAK (speak!) - SHAKE (shake! - as in shake a paw) Yes! These are all commands you can give to a dog!