<guess> RANK, RATE, SCORE, GRADE </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> TOWEL, TIGER, TRAIL, CLIP </guess> <confidence> 0.85 </confidence>

<guess> FIDGET, PACE, BLUSH, SWEAT </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> NOSE, STOCKINGS, MASCARA, DYE </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> CONDENSE, VAPORIZE, MELT, FREEZE </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> BACKUP, SUB, ALTERNATE, COVER </guess> <confidence> 0.85 </confidence>

<guess> HACK, SUIT, COPPER, HERO </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

We are given that the guess HACK, SUIT, COPPER, HERO is incorrect. We have 3 incorrect guesses remaining. The words still available from the original list after removing the correct ones are: SHRINK (from the first group? Wait, SHRINK was not used in the first correct guess. Let's check: In the first guess, we guessed CONDENSE, VAPORIZE, MELT, FREEZE. That left SHRINK still available. Then second guess: BACKUP, SUB, ALTERNATE, COVER. That left: SHRINK, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, COPPER, HACK, SUIT, HERO? Actually, we guessed HACK, SUIT, COPPER, HERO and it was incorrect, so those words are still available? But we were told INCORRECT, meaning the guess was wrong, so none of those words are removed. So all words from the second guess are still available except the ones from the first two correct guesses? Let's reconstruct: Original available words: CONDENSE, SHRINK, VAPORIZE, MELT, FREEZE, BACKUP, SUB, ALTERNATE, SUIT, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, COPPER, HACK, COVER, HERO. First correct guess: CONDENSE, VAPORIZE, MELT, FREEZE. So remove those. Remaining: SHRINK, BACKUP, SUB, ALTERNATE, SUIT, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, COPPER, HACK, COVER, HERO. Second correct guess: BACKUP, SUB, ALTERNATE, COVER. Remove those. Remaining: SHRINK, SUIT, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, COPPER, HACK, HERO. Then we guessed HACK, SUIT, COPPER, HERO and it was incorrect, so they are not removed. So currently available words: SHRINK, SUIT, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, COPPER, HACK, HERO. That's 8 words. We need to find a group of four among these. We have already tried one grouping that failed. Let's analyze possible categories. We have words: SHRINK, SUIT, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, COPPER, HACK, HERO. Potential connections: - SHRINK can mean psychiatrist (slang). - SUIT can mean business executive (slang). - HACK can mean a mediocre professional (slang). - COPPER can mean police officer (slang). - HERO can mean a heroic person, also a sandwich? But not slang necessarily. - FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY don't fit the slang-for-people category. Maybe the category is something else. Possibly words that can be preceded by "pipe"? Like pipe dream? But that seems far-fetched. Alternatively, maybe the category is "words that can follow 'day'": SOMEDAY, but others? HONEY? No. Maybe the category is "types of something": HONEY, COPPER (metals? But HONEY is not a metal). FANTASY is a genre, but others? Perhaps there is a group related to endearments or terms of address: HONEY, HERO? Not really. Maybe the category is "things that can be 'dreams'": FANTASY, SOMEDAY? Not sure. Let's think about the words that are left: We have SHRINK, SUIT, HACK, COPPER, HERO which all could be informal terms for people, but our guess with four of them was incorrect. So maybe only some of them belong to that category, and there is another category that includes some of the others. Perhaps the category is "words that can be verbs": SHRINK, SUIT, HACK, HERO? HERO is not typically a verb. COPPER can be a verb? To copper something? Not common. FANTASY can be a verb. HONEY can be a verb (to honey). SOMEDAY is not a verb. So not consistent. Maybe there is a group of words that are types of stories or genres: FANTASY, HERO? Not really. Let's consider if any words can be associated with comics or something: HERO, FANTASY? Not clear. Maybe the category is "words that can be preceded by 'anti-'": HERO -> antihero, but others? HACK? Anti-hack? Not standard. Perhaps the category is "words that can be types of baseball players"? HERO, HACK? No. We need to be systematic. Let's list possible categories from known Connections puzzles. Common categories: ___ DREAM (pipe dream, daydream, etc.). Could we have PIPE DREAM? But PIPE is not in the list. DAYDREAM? SOMEDAY and DREAM? Not quite. Maybe the category is "words that can follow 'day'": DAYDREAM? But we have SOMEDAY, which is "some day", not exactly. DAYDREAM includes "dream". We have FANTASY which is like a dream. HONEY? Day honey? No. Maybe the category is "words that can be preceded by 'honey'": HONEYMOON? Not here. Another thought: The first category was phase changes. The second category was substitutes. So the remaining two categories might be something like informal terms for people (which we tried but got incorrect, so maybe not exactly that) and something else. Possibly the informal terms group might include only three of those? But we need four. Maybe the group is "slang for professions" or "slang for people in certain roles": SHRINK (psychiatrist), SUIT (business executive), HACK (mediocre writer, or taxi driver?), COPPER (police), HERO (sandwich? or heroic person). But HERO is not necessarily slang; it's standard. Perhaps the category is "informal terms for people" but HERO might not qualify. Maybe it's "types of sandwiches"? HERO is a sandwich, but what about others? SUB is already used in the substitutes group, and SUB is also a sandwich. But SUB is already removed. So HERO is a sandwich, but COPPER? Not a sandwich. HONEY? Not a sandwich. So no. Maybe the category is "words that can be types of metal": COPPER is a metal, but others? HERO? No. Perhaps the category is "words that can be preceded by 'fantasy'": FANTASY FOOTBALL, FANTASY LEAGUE, but not with these words. Let's look for words that have multiple meanings, especially as nouns and verbs. We might find a group that are all verbs related to reduction or something: SHRINK, HACK? But SUIT can be a verb meaning to fit, and HONEY can be a verb meaning to sweet-talk. Not consistent. Maybe the category is "words that can be used as terms of endearment": HONEY, HERO? Sometimes "hero" is used affectionately? Not really. Another idea: Perhaps the category is "things that can be 'made'": HONEY (bees make it), COPPER (mined), FANTASY (created), HERO (made into a hero)? Not strong. We need to consider that the puzzle might have a theme. Since it's Connections, often there are four categories of four. We have already found two: Phase Changes and Substitutes. So two more categories among the remaining eight. We need to split them into two groups of four. Let's list the words again: SHRINK, SUIT, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, COPPER, HACK, HERO. I see a possible group: SHRINK, HACK, SUIT, HERO as informal terms for people, but that was wrong. Maybe the group is actually SHRINK, HACK, COPPER, and something else? But we need four. Perhaps HERO is not in that group, and instead, HERO belongs with FANTASY, SOMEDAY, and HONEY? What could that category be? Maybe "words that can be preceded by 'day'"? But only SOMEDAY fits. Or "words that can be preceded by 'pipe'"? None. Maybe the category is "words that can be types of literature or stories": FANTASY (genre), HERO (archetype), SOMEDAY (as in "someday my prince will come" from fairy tales), HONEY (as in "honey" as a term in stories)? Not convincing. Maybe the category is "words that can be verbs meaning to reduce or cut": SHRINK, HACK, but SUIT? No. COPPER? No. Let's think about words that have homophones or something. Perhaps one group is "words that can be preceded by 'anti'": HERO -> antihero, HACK -> antihack? Not common. COPPER -> anti-copper? No. Maybe the category is "words that can be preceded by 'super'": HERO -> superhero, SUIT -> supersuit, HACK -> superhack? Not standard. COPPER -> supercopper? No. Another idea: Could it be related to colors? COPPER is a color, HONEY is a color, HERO? Not really. FANTASY? No. Maybe the category is "words that can be types of sweet things": HONEY is sweet, HERO sandwich? Not sweet. FANTASY? No. Perhaps the category is "words that can be associated with psychology": SHRINK (psychiatrist), FANTASY (imagination), HERO (archetype), SOMEDAY (future thinking)? Stretching. Given the time, let's consider the possibility that the group we tried was close but had one wrong word. Perhaps the category is "slang for people" but includes only three of those, and the fourth is something else. Or maybe the category is "people in comics" or something. Wait, maybe there is a group: HACK, COPPER, HERO, and SUIT as "things that can be types of sandwiches"? HERO is a sandwich, SUB is a sandwich but already used, SUIT? No, a suit is not a sandwich. HACK? No. COPPER? No. Maybe the category is "words that can be preceded by 'dream'": DREAM SUIT? No. DREAM HONEY? No. DREAM SOMEDAY? Not really. Let's look for a pattern: Among the words, SHRINK, HACK, SUIT, COPPER, HERO all can be nouns referring to people. But perhaps the category is "informal terms for people" and we included HERO, but maybe HERO is not considered informal. Maybe the category is "slang for occupations" and HERO is not an occupation per se. So perhaps replace HERO with something else. But among the remaining words, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY are not slang for people. So maybe the group is actually SHRINK, HACK, COPPER, and SUIT? That's only four, but we already guessed HACK, SUIT, COPPER, HERO and it was wrong, so maybe HERO is not in it. Let's try SHRINK, HACK, COPPER, SUIT. But we need to check if SHRINK is available. Yes, it is. So maybe the correct group is SHRINK, HACK, COPPER, SUIT. But we have to guess exactly four words. Let's see if that makes sense as a category: All are informal terms for people: shrink (psychiatrist), hack (mediocre professional, especially writer), copper (police officer), suit (business executive). That seems plausible. And HERO is not included. Then what is HERO? Maybe HERO belongs with FANTASY, HONEY, and SOMEDAY? What could that category be? Possibly "words that can be preceded by 'day' to form common phrases"? DAYDREAM (not exactly), DAYDREAM could be related to FANTASY? HONEYMOON? Not day. SOMEDAY is "some day". HERO? Day hero? No. Maybe the category is "words that can be types of dreams": DAYDREAM, PIPE DREAM, but we don't have those. FANTASY is like a dream. SOMEDAY is associated with dreams of the future. HONEY? Sweet dreams? Not directly. HERO? American dream? Not sure. Alternatively, maybe the category for HERO, FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY is "words that can be used as terms of endearment"? HONEY is, HERO sometimes, FANTASY? No. SOMEDAY? No. Let's think about the possibility that the group we haven't considered is "words that can be verbs": SHRINK, HACK, SUIT, HONEY? SUIT can be a verb meaning to be appropriate, HONEY can be a verb meaning to sweet-talk, SHRINK is a verb, HACK is a verb. But COPPER can also be a verb (to coat with copper), and HERO is not a verb. So maybe the verb group includes SHRINK, HACK, SUIT, HONEY. But then what about COPPER and HERO and FANTASY and SOMEDAY? FANTASY can be a verb, SOMEDAY is not a verb. So maybe the verb group is SHRINK, HACK, SUIT, FANTASY? But FANTASY as a verb is less common. Perhaps the category is "words that can be both nouns and verbs": SHRINK, HACK, SUIT, COVER? But COVER is already used. So among remaining: SHRINK, HACK, SUIT, COPPER? COPPER as a verb is not common. HONEY as a verb is possible. So many possibilities. Given that we have 3 incorrect guesses left, we can afford to test one hypothesis. I think the most straightforward is to try the slang-for-people group without HERO: SHRINK, HACK, COPPER, SUIT. That seems like a strong category. And then the remaining four would be FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, HERO, which might form some other category. But we need to guess one group at a time. So let's guess SHRINK, HACK, COPPER, SUIT. </thinking> <guess> SHRINK, HACK, COPPER, SUIT </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> FANTASY, HONEY, SOMEDAY, HERO </guess> <confidence> 0.75 </confidence>

<guess> MING, HAN, TANG, SONG </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> RAM, STAG, BUCK, BILLY </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> SINGLE, SOLO, FREE, STAG </guess> <confidence> 0.85 </confidence>

<guess> ZING, KICK, ZEST, PUNCH </guess> <confidence> 0.85 </confidence>

<guess> JACK, BUCK, BILLY, RAM </guess> <confidence> 0.99 </confidence>

<guess> SHAKE, CONE, CUP, SPLIT </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

First, the previous guess was correct, so I should remove those words from consideration. The correct words were SHAKE, CONE, CUP, SPLIT. These are likely part of a category related to ice cream or desserts. Now, the available words are updated. From the initial list, remove SHAKE, CONE, CUP, SPLIT. The remaining words are: SPACECRAFT, DEPARTED, THEATER, GOOD SHEPHERD, LIBERAL, RAINMAKER, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, MARTIAN, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD, BLUE. I need to find another group of four related words. Let me list them clearly: - SPACECRAFT - DEPARTED - THEATER - GOOD SHEPHERD - LIBERAL - RAINMAKER - LEFT - PROGRESSIVE - MARTIAN - FICTIONAL BOXER - GREEK/ROMAN GOD - BLUE I have to identify potential categories. Common categories in Connections include themes like movies, politics, mythology, etc. Let's group them: - Political terms: LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT, BLUE (as in blue states or political affiliation). That's four words: LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT, BLUE. BLUE can refer to a political color in the US. This seems like a solid category. - Movie-related: There are several words that could be movie titles. For example, DEPARTED might refer to "The Departed," GOOD SHEPHERD to "The Good Shepherd," RAINMAKER to "The Rainmaker," and MARTIAN to "The Martian." These are all movies that start with "The". Also, THEATER could be related, but it might not fit directly. Let's see: DEPARTED, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, MARTIAN – all are movies with "The" in the title, even if not explicitly stated. In Connections, categories often use common references. - Other words: SPACECRAFT might relate to MARTIAN, but MARTIAN is already in the movie group. FICTIONAL BOXER and GREEK/ROMAN GOD are specific. SPACECRAFT could be part of a space-related category, but only SPACECRAFT and MARTIAN are space-related, which isn't four words. - FICTIONAL BOXER: This might refer to a character like Rocky or Apollo Creed, but it's a phrase, not a single word. Similarly, GREEK/ROMAN GOD is a phrase. I need to consider the categories. The political group seems straightforward. For the movie group, if I take DEPARTED, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, MARTIAN, that's four. But are they all movies with "The"? Yes, "The Departed," "The Good Shepherd," "The Rainmaker," "The Martian." However, in the word list, it's DEPARTED, not THE DEPARTED, but in Connections, they might imply the full title. Similarly, GOOD SHEPHERD is likely "The Good Shepherd," etc. Leftover words: SPACECRAFT, THEATER, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, LIBERAL, BLUE, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD. But I already grouped LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT, BLUE as political, so if I use them for that, then the movie group would be separate. But after removing the political group, what's left? Let's assume I guess the political group next. So, for my next guess, I should choose a group of four that I think is correct. The political group: LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT, BLUE. But BLUE might also be part of other categories, but in context, it fits politically. Another possibility: SPACECRAFT, MARTIAN, and others might relate to space, but only two words. THEATER could be part of a category with other words, but I don't see an obvious group. FICTIONAL BOXER and GREEK/ROMAN GOD might be part of a category for types of characters or something, but I need four words. Perhaps there's a category for words that can precede "party" or something, but not sure. Let's list all words again after removing the correct ones: Remaining: SPACECRAFT, DEPARTED, THEATER, GOOD SHEPHERD, LIBERAL, RAINMAKER, LEFT, PROGRESSIVE, MARTIAN, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD, BLUE Potential categories: 1. Political orientation: LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT, BLUE 2. Movies with "The": DEPARTED, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, MARTIAN 3. Then leftover: SPACECRAFT, THEATER, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD. This doesn't seem like a coherent group. SPACECRAFT and THEATER might be unrelated, and FICTIONAL BOXER and GREEK/ROMAN GOD are phrases. Perhaps FICTIONAL BOXER and GREEK/ROMAN GOD are part of a category for "types of characters" but need two more. Maybe THEATER and something else. Another thought: In Connections, sometimes categories are like "things in a theater" or "types of performance," but not sure. Perhaps SPACECRAFT and MARTIAN are part of a space category, but I have MARTIAN in the movie group. If I move MARTIAN to space, then the movie group might need another word. Let's check the movie group: DEPARTED, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, MARTIAN – all are movies that won or were nominated for awards, but more importantly, they all have "The" in the title. That's a common Connections category. For political, LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT are synonyms or related, and BLUE fits as the color associated with them. So, I think the political group is a good guess. I should go with that. But I need to be cautious. The game said "NEXT GUESS?" so I have to provide a guess in the format. My confidence in the political group is high. Let me prepare the response. <guess> LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT, BLUE </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> DEPARTED, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, MARTIAN </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

We have two correct guesses so far: first was ice cream related (SHAKE, CONE, CUP, SPLIT), second was political terms (LIBERAL, PROGRESSIVE, LEFT, BLUE). Third was movies with "The" (DEPARTED, GOOD SHEPHERD, RAINMAKER, MARTIAN). So the remaining words are: SPACECRAFT, THEATER, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD. These four must form the last category. Now I need to figure out what these four have in common. Let's examine: - SPACECRAFT: a vehicle used for space travel. - THEATER: a place where performances or movies are shown; also can refer to a region of conflict in war (e.g., theater of war). - FICTIONAL BOXER: this is a phrase, not a single word. It likely refers to a character like Rocky Balboa or Apollo Creed from movies. - GREEK/ROMAN GOD: again a phrase, referring to deities from classical mythology. Perhaps they are all things that can be prefixed with "space"? Not sure. Maybe they are categories of entertainment or stories? SPACECRAFT could be from sci-fi, THEATER from performing arts, FICTIONAL BOXER from sports fiction, GREEK/ROMAN GOD from mythology. But that seems broad. Alternatively, they might all be types of "_____ something"? Perhaps they are all things that can be described as "epic" or "heroic". Another thought: In Connections, sometimes categories involve wordplay. Maybe these are all things that can follow a specific word. For example, "space" could go with "spacecraft" and "space theater"? But not really. Let's consider if they are all things that can be part of a phrase with "movie" or "film": SPACECRAFT in movies, THEATER where movies are shown, FICTIONAL BOXER from movies like Rocky, GREEK/ROMAN GOD from movies like Clash of the Titans. That could be a category like "Things related to movies" but that seems too vague and overlaps with the previous movie category. Maybe they are all "types of something" in a broader sense. For instance, they might all be terms that can be combined with "of" to form common phrases: "spacecraft of ...", "theater of war", "fictional boxer of ...", "Greek/Roman god of ...". But not consistent. Perhaps they are all things that have "stage" or "arena": theater has a stage, boxing has a ring, gods have Olympus, spacecraft has space. Not clear. Wait, maybe they are all categories of "characters" or "settings" in fiction. But SPACECRAFT is not a character. Another idea: They could all be answers to the clue "Things that are 'out of this world'" but that's not precise. Let's think about the phrases "FICTIONAL BOXER" and "GREEK/ROMAN GOD". In the puzzle, these are given as multi-word entries. They might be referring to specific examples. Possibly the category is "Things that can be prefixed with 'Rocky'"? Rocky is a fictional boxer, Rocky as in Rocky Mountains? Not. Perhaps they are all things that are associated with the word "Apollo": Apollo is a Greek/Roman god, Apollo is also the name of a spacecraft (Apollo spacecraft), Apollo Theater is a famous theater in Harlem, and Apollo Creed is a fictional boxer from the Rocky series. That seems like a perfect connection! Apollo is the link. So SPACECRAFT could refer to the Apollo spacecraft, THEATER could be the Apollo Theater, FICTIONAL BOXER could be Apollo Creed, and GREEK/ROMAN GOD could be Apollo the god. All are associated with "Apollo". That is a clever category. In Connections, such wordplay categories are common. So the category might be "Things associated with Apollo" or "Apollo ___". Therefore, these four words form a group where each can be paired with "Apollo" to make a common phrase or name: Apollo spacecraft, Apollo theater, Apollo Creed (fictional boxer), Apollo (Greek/Roman god). Note: Apollo Theater is specifically the Apollo Theater in Harlem, which is famous. Apollo spacecraft refers to the NASA program. Apollo Creed is the character from Rocky. Apollo is the god from mythology. So I think this is the final category. I should guess these four remaining words together. My confidence is high because this is a classic Connections twist. Thus, my guess will be SPACECRAFT, THEATER, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD. But note: In the guess, I need to write them exactly as given: all caps, comma-separated. So: SPACECRAFT, THEATER, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD. I'll set confidence to 1.0 since it seems very likely. <guess> SPACECRAFT, THEATER, FICTIONAL BOXER, GREEK/ROMAN GOD </guess> <confidence> 1.0 </confidence>

<guess> MAMMOTH, COLOSSUS, WHALE, WHOPPER </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> SCRATCH, DENT, MAR, DING </guess> <confidence> 0.85 </confidence>

<guess> BASE, PLATE, MOUND, BOX </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> POINT, STARE, WHISPER, SNICKER </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> PALEONTOLOGIST, DINOSAUR, AMBER, MOSQUITO </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> GRIMACE, EGGPLANT, AMETHYST, LAVENDER </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

The previous correct guesses were: 1. PALEONTOLOGIST, DINOSAUR, AMBER, MOSQUITO (fossil/Jurassic Park theme) 2. GRIMACE, EGGPLANT, AMETHYST, LAVENDER (purple things) Remaining words: TIDBIT, KERNEL, PILE, FORTUNE, NUGGET, BUNDLE, MINT, PEARL. I need to find a group of four among these. Let's analyze: - TIDBIT: a small piece of interesting information or food. - KERNEL: a small part of a seed, or the core of something. - PILE: a heap or stack. - FORTUNE: a large amount of wealth. - NUGGET: a small lump of gold or valuable information. - BUNDLE: a collection of things tied together. - MINT: a place where money is made; also an herb. - PEARL: a small, round gem produced by mollusks; also a piece of wisdom. Possible categories: 1. **Money/Wealth terms**: PILE (as in pile of money), FORTUNE (wealth), BUNDLE (as in bundle of cash), MINT (where money is produced). That's four words directly related to money. 2. **Small valuable things or pieces**: TIDBIT, KERNEL, NUGGET, PEARL. These can all refer to small bits of something valuable, like a "tidbit of gossip", "kernel of truth", "nugget of wisdom", "pearl of wisdom". This is also a common category. Which one is more likely? In Connections, sometimes categories are more literal or thematic. The money group seems straightforward: words that can be combined with "money" or refer to money. The small bits group is more metaphorical. Let's see if there's any overlap or other possibilities. MINT can also refer to the plant, but in the context of money, it's clear. PILE and BUNDLE are often used with money. FORTUNE is directly money. I recall that in some Connections puzzles, there have been categories like "___ OF MONEY" where words like PILE, BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT (as in "mint condition" but not exactly) might fit. Actually, "mint" as in "a mint" is a place where money is made, but it's not typically used in the phrase "mint of money". However, "mint" can mean a vast amount of money (e.g., "to make a mint"). The small bits group: TIDBIT, KERNEL, NUGGET, PEARL are all words that can be preceded by "a ___ of truth/wisdom/information". That's a common phrase pattern. I need to decide which one to guess. Since I have two groups left, and I have two guesses remaining (I've used 2 correct guesses, so I have 4 guesses total? Actually, the game allows up to 6 total guesses, with 4 mistakes allowed. I've made 2 correct guesses, so I have used 2 guesses. I can still make up to 4 more guesses, but if I make a mistake, it counts as a guess. Ideally, I want to guess correctly. Perhaps I can consider the possibility that the remaining words might form two groups of four. There are 8 words left, so indeed two groups. I need to identify both. Let's list them again: TIDBIT, KERNEL, PILE, FORTUNE, NUGGET, BUNDLE, MINT, PEARL. One group could be money-related: PILE, FORTUNE, BUNDLE, MINT. The other group could be small bits: TIDBIT, KERNEL, NUGGET, PEARL. That seems clean and non-overlapping. So I should pick one. Which one is more obvious? The money group might be more literal, while the small bits group might be more metaphorical. Often Connections uses categories that are a bit clever. I'll check if any word could belong to both. For example, NUGGET can refer to a gold nugget, so it could be money-related. But in the money group, I have four already. If NUGGET were money-related, then maybe the money group is five? But there are only eight words, so groups are exactly four. So NUGGET must be in the small bits group. Similarly, MINT is clearly money-related. So the split seems consistent. I'll guess the money group first. Confidence is high. </thinking> <guess> PILE, FORTUNE, BUNDLE, MINT </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> TIDBIT, KERNEL, NUGGET, PEARL </guess> <confidence> 1.0 </confidence>

<guess> POLAROID, HASSELBLAD, FUJIFILM, OLYMPUS </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> PARMESAN, NEAPOLITAN, VENETIAN, BOLOGNESE </guess> <confidence> 0.98 </confidence>

First, the user said "CORRECT. NEXT GUESS?" which means my previous guess was right. So, I need to remove the words I guessed correctly: PARMESAN, NEAPOLITAN, VENETIAN, BOLOGNESE from the available list. The original available words were: KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, SKYBOX, PARMESAN, RUSHMORE, JUMBOTRON, POLAROID, NEAPOLITAN, OLYMPUS, VENETIAN, SCOREBOARD, HASSELBLAD, FUJIFILM, BOLOGNESE, ASTROTURF, CREAMSICLE. My first correct guess removed: POLAROID, HASSELBLAD, FUJIFILM, OLYMPUS. My second correct guess removed: PARMESAN, NEAPOLITAN, VENETIAN, BOLOGNESE. So, the remaining words are: KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, SKYBOX, RUSHMORE, JUMBOTRON, SCOREBOARD, ASTROTURF, CREAMSICLE. Now, I need to find a category among these eight words. I have two more categories to guess, as per the game, I need to guess four groups of four words each. Since I've already guessed two correctly, there should be two more groups left. Looking at the remaining words: - KISSCAM - JOURNEYMAN - SKYBOX - RUSHMORE - JUMBOTRON - SCOREBOARD - ASTROTURF - CREAMSICLE I need to identify two groups of four. Let me think about potential connections. First, consider stadium or sports-related terms: - SKYBOX: a luxury seating area in a stadium. - JUMBOTRON: a large video screen in a stadium. - SCOREBOARD: a board displaying scores in sports. - ASTROTURF: artificial turf used in sports fields. That seems like a coherent category: stadium features or elements. Then, the remaining words: KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, RUSHMORE, CREAMSICLE. What could these have in common? - KISSCAM: often used in sports events or entertainment venues where couples are shown on screen to kiss. - JOURNEYMAN: could refer to a skilled worker who has completed an apprenticeship, or in sports, a player who is experienced but not a star. - RUSHMORE: likely refers to Mount Rushmore, the national memorial. - CREAMSICLE: a frozen dessert or could be a color scheme (orange and white). I need to find a connection. Perhaps they are all things that can be associated with sports or events, but that might not be specific enough. Let me think differently. "Journeyman" might be a level in sports or professions. "Rushmore" could be related to the film "Rushmore" or the mountain. "Creamsicle" might be a flavor or a nickname for something. Another idea: perhaps they are all types of or related to "things that are named after people or places"? But that seems vague. Maybe "Kisscam" is a segment in sports games, "Journeyman" is a term in sports for players, "Rushmore" could be a reference to a sports team or event, and "Creamsicle" might be a team color or mascot? For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a creamsicle color scheme in the past. Yes, that might be it: all could be associated with sports culture or specific references in sports. - Kisscam: common in basketball and other sports. - Journeyman: a term for a sports player who moves between teams. - Rushmore: Mount Rushmore is sometimes referenced in sports, or there might be a sports connection. - Creamsicle: as mentioned, related to sports team colors or uniforms. But I need a tighter category. Perhaps they are all "things found in a stadium" or "sports entertainment elements", but that would overlap with the stadium features group I identified earlier. Let me list the stadium features group: SKYBOX, JUMBOTRON, SCOREBOARD, ASTROTURF. That seems solid. Then the remaining four: KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, RUSHMORE, CREAMSICLE. What category could they form? - They might all be related to "nicknames" or "terms in sports". - Specifically, "Kisscam" is a feature at games, "Journeyman" is a type of player, "Rushmore" might refer to Mount Rushmore which is used in phrases like "Mount Rushmore of sports" to denote greats, and "Creamsicle" is a color scheme for a sports team. Upon second thought, "Mount Rushmore" is often used in discussions about the greatest players in a sport, so "Rushmore" could symbolize that. "Creamsicle" is famously associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' old uniforms. "Journeyman" is a common sports term. "Kisscam" is a stadium activity. So perhaps the category is "Sports-related terms or concepts" but that might be too broad. The game categories are usually more specific. Another idea: all four might be associated with "baseball" or "football"? Let's see: - Kisscam: common in baseball and basketball. - Journeyman: used in many sports. - Rushmore: not directly sports-related, but used in sports debates. - Creamsicle: specifically for football (NFL). Not consistent. Maybe "Rushmore" refers to something else. Could it be a brand or a model? But in the context, it's likely Mount Rushmore. Perhaps the category is "Things that are compound words"? Kisscam, Journeyman, Rushmore, Creamsicle are all compound words. Skybox, Jumbotron, Scoreboard, Astroturf are also compound words. But that would not be a unique category since many words are compounds. I should look for a more distinct connection. Let me consider if there's a category based on "types of cameras" or "technology", but that was already used with camera brands. Another thought: "Kisscam" might be related to cameras, but I already used camera brands. Perhaps "Rushmore" is a type of something? Mount Rushmore is a sculpture, so maybe all are related to "icons" or "landmarks"? But Journeyman and Creamsicle don't fit. I recall that in previous Connections puzzles, there are often categories like "Italian cities" which I already guessed, and "camera brands", etc. For the remaining words, let me think about "ice cream flavors" or something: Creamsicle is a flavor, Neapolitan was already used, but it's gone. Rushmore? No. Journeyman? No. Creamsicle is a specific brand of ice pop. Kisscam might be a trademarked term. Journeyman could be a TV show or a term. Perhaps they are all "words that can be split into two parts": Kiss-cam, Journey-man, Rush-more, Cream-sicle. But that's not a category. Maybe they are all "portmanteaus" or "blended words"? Kisscam (kiss + camera), Jumbotron (jumbo + electron), but Jumbotron is in the other group. I need to focus on the stadium features group first, as it seems the most straightforward. So, for my next guess, I should go with the stadium features: SKYBOX, JUMBOTRON, SCOREBOARD, ASTROTURF. Then the last group will be KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, RUSHMORE, CREAMSICLE, and I'll figure out the category later. My confidence in the stadium features group is high. Confidence: 0.9 </thinking> <guess> SKYBOX, JUMBOTRON, SCOREBOARD, ASTROTURF </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

The user said "CORRECT. NEXT GUESS?" indicating that my guess of SKYBOX, JUMBOTRON, SCOREBOARD, ASTROTURF was correct. Now I have only four words left: KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, RUSHMORE, CREAMSICLE. I must determine the common category for these four words and make my final guess. I need to think about what these four words have in common. Let's list them: - KISSCAM: Often a feature at sporting events or concerts where couples are shown on screen and encouraged to kiss. - JOURNEYMAN: In sports, a journeyman is a player who competes for multiple teams over their career, often without becoming a star. It can also refer to a tradesperson who has completed an apprenticeship. - RUSHMORE: Likely refers to Mount Rushmore, the famous sculpture in South Dakota. However, in a Connections puzzle, it might be part of a category like "Things on a mountain" or "Famous monuments," but that doesn't fit with the other words. Alternatively, in sports contexts, "Mount Rushmore" is sometimes used metaphorically to discuss the greatest players in a sport. - CREAMSICLE: This is a brand of frozen dessert (ice pop) that is orange and white. It could also refer to the color scheme used by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team in their early years. Looking for a common thread, all four words can be associated with sports or entertainment venues, but that might be too broad. Let's consider if there is a more specific connection: - KISSCAM is a segment during sports games. - JOURNEYMAN is a term used in sports for a player who moves between teams. - RUSHMORE might be used in sports discussions (e.g., "Mount Rushmore of basketball"). - CREAMSICLE is associated with a sports team's uniform. Alternatively, perhaps they are all compound words? KISSCAM (kiss + cam), JOURNEYMAN (journey + man), RUSHMORE (rush + more), CREAMSICLE (cream + icicle?). But that might not be unique enough. Maybe they are all things that can be found at a baseball game? Kisscam is common in baseball, journeyman players are common in baseball, Mount Rushmore might be referenced in baseball lore (e.g., the four greats), and Creamsicle could be a concession item or a team color. But Creamsicle as a concession item is a stretch; it's more of a frozen treat sold at events. Another idea: all four might be related to "nicknames" or "informal terms." Kisscam is a nickname for that segment, journeyman is a informal term for a certain type of player, Rushmore is a nickname for the monument, and Creamsicle is a nickname for the Buccaneers' old uniforms. But I need a clear category that fits all four. Perhaps the category is "Sports slang" or "Sports terms." However, Rushmore is not exclusively sports-related; it's more general. Let's think about the previous categories: camera brands, Italian adjectives, stadium features. The last category might be something like "Things associated with sports broadcasts" or "Sports entertainment elements." Kisscam is part of the broadcast, journeyman is a term used in commentary, Rushmore might be discussed in sports debates, and Creamsicle might be a color mentioned in uniform discussions. Given that this is the last group, I should just make the guess. The connections puzzles often have a trickier category for the last one. I recall that in some puzzles, "Mount Rushmore" has appeared in categories like "U.S. Presidents" because it features presidents, but that doesn't fit here. Alternatively, it could be "Things that are named after people" but Rushmore is named after Charles E. Rushmore, journeyman is not named after a person, etc. Maybe all four are trademarks or branded terms? Kisscam might be trademarked, Journeyman could be a TV show, Rushmore is a monument, Creamsicle is a trademarked ice pop. But that's not consistent. Another thought: all four can be associated with "levels" or "stages"? Journeyman is a level in a career, Rushmore is a mountain with levels (the faces), Creamsicle is a type of treat that has layers? Not convincing. Given the time, I'll go with the guess that these four are the last category, and I'm moderately confident. I'll set confidence to 0.7. But let's see: after three correct guesses, the remaining four words must be the last category. So I have to guess them. Even if I'm unsure of the category, I must provide the guess. The category might be revealed after the guess. So my guess will be KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, RUSHMORE, CREAMSICLE. Confidence: I'm not entirely sure of the category, but since these are the only four left, they must be connected. I'll say 0.8. </thinking> <guess> KISSCAM, JOURNEYMAN, RUSHMORE, CREAMSICLE </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> DOLLAR, POUND, WON, STERLING </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> KEY, CRITICAL, MAJOR, PRINCIPAL </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

<guess> PRIVATE, SECRET, PERSONAL, INNER </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

We have three correct guesses so far. The first correct guess was DOLLAR, POUND, WON, STERLING (currency names). The second correct guess was KEY, CRITICAL, MAJOR, PRINCIPAL (words meaning important). The third correct guess was PRIVATE, SECRET, PERSONAL, INNER (words related to privacy or confidentiality). Now, the remaining words are: WING, NICKEL, BILL, SOLDIER. We need to find a category that connects these four words. Let's analyze: - WING: could be part of a building (e.g., hospital wing), part of an organization (e.g., political wing), or part of a bird. - NICKEL: a U.S. coin worth 5 cents. - BILL: could be a banknote (like a dollar bill), a bird's beak, or a proposed law. - SOLDIER: a military person. We need to find a common category. Perhaps these words are all types of "something" in the context of the puzzle. Consider military ranks? SOLDIER is a general term, but PRIVATE was already used in the previous category. However, PRIVATE is also a military rank, but it's already used. WING might refer to a wing of an air force? NICKEL and BILL don't fit. Maybe these are all words that can be preceded by "five" or are related to the number five? NICKEL is worth five cents. BILL might be a five-dollar bill? But not necessarily. SOLDIER doesn't fit. WING doesn't fit. Alternatively, perhaps they are all homonyms or have multiple meanings. But that might not be a clear category. Another idea: maybe they are all things that can be found in a wallet? NICKEL (coin), BILL (paper money), but SOLDIER and WING don't fit. Perhaps they are all parts of a bird? WING (bird's wing), BILL (bird's beak), NICKEL? No. SOLDIER? No. Maybe they are all words that can be associated with "air"? WING (bird or airplane), SOLDIER (air force?), NICKEL and BILL don't fit. Wait, could they be related to money denominations? NICKEL and BILL are both currency terms, but BILL can also mean a banknote. But we already had a currency category with currency names. This might be a different currency category: "U.S. COIN AND CURRENCY DENOMINATIONS" or something. But WING and SOLDIER don't fit. Perhaps the category is "THINGS THAT CAN BE PART OF A BUILDING"? WING (e.g., east wing), BILL (as in billiard room? not really), NICKEL (nickelodeon? a type of theater?), SOLDIER (soldier beam in construction?). That seems stretched. Maybe they are all words that can be used as verbs? WING (to wing it), NICKEL (to nickel-and-dime), BILL (to bill someone), SOLDIER (to soldier on). That could be a category: "WORDS THAT CAN BE USED AS VERBS." But many words can be verbs. However, in puzzle contexts, categories often play on multiple meanings. Given that the previous categories were straightforward (currency names, synonyms for important, words for private), this last category might also be straightforward. Let's think about possible connections. I recall that in some word games, "WING", "SOLDIER", "NICKEL", and "BILL" might all be associated with types of "___ something" or perhaps ranks? "Private" was already used, but "private" is a rank, and "soldier" is a general term. "Major" was used in the important category, and "major" is also a military rank. So maybe there is a military theme? But "wing" could be a part of an air force, and "bill" could be a bird, not military. Alternatively, maybe they are all words that can follow "five": five-wing? Not common. Five-nickel? No. Five-dollar bill? That works. Five-star soldier? Not really. Maybe they are all types of "jobs" or "roles"? SOLDIER is a job. BILL could be a name, not a job. WING could be a position in sports? NICKEL could be a defensive position in American football (nickelback). And BILL could be a name, but also in football, there is the Bill (Buffalo Bills). That's a stretch. Perhaps the category is "FOOTBALL TERMS"? In American football, nickel refers to a defensive package, wing could be a position (wingback), soldier might refer to a team name (like the Army Black Knights), and bill could be the Buffalo Bills. That could be a category: "NFL TEAMS OR POSITIONS"? But soldier is not a team name; there are no soldier teams. There are the New England Patriots, but not soldiers. Maybe it's "BIRD PARTS"? WING and BILL are bird parts. NICKEL and SOLDIER don't fit. Let's consider the possibility that the puzzle might have a theme of "multiple meanings" or "words that are also names of coins/birds/etc." But we need a common thread. Given that we have only four words left, they must form a category. Often in Connections puzzles, the last group is sometimes trickier. I should look for a more obvious connection. Perhaps they are all words that can be preceded by "key"? Key wing? No. Key nickel? No. Key bill? Like key bill? Not really. Key soldier? No. Maybe they are all words that can be associated with "air force"? Wing (airplane wing), soldier (airman), nickel (nickel? not sure), bill (as in dollar bill, for funding?). Another idea: maybe they are all types of "metal" or "elements"? Nickel is a metal. Soldier might be made of metal? Wing could be metal on an airplane. Bill could be paper. Not consistent. Maybe the category is "SLANG TERMS FOR MONEY": nickel (5 cents), bill (dollar bill), but wing and soldier? Soldier could be slang for a dollar? I've heard "buck" but not soldier. Wing might be slang for money? Not that I know. Perhaps it's "WORDS THAT CAN MEAN TO MOVE": wing (to fly), soldier (to march), nickel (to nickel-and-dime means to move slowly?), bill (to move like a billow? no). Given the time, I'll consider that these words might all be associated with "birds" in some way: wing (bird wing), bill (bird beak), and then nickel and soldier? There is a bird called a "soldier bird" (the soldier flycatcher?) and "nickel" doesn't fit. Not likely. Maybe they are all words that can be used in the context of "building construction": wing (an extension), soldier (a brick laid vertically), bill (a list of materials), nickel (a type of plating?). That could be possible. In construction, a soldier course is a row of bricks set vertically. Bill of materials is a list. Wing is a part of a building. Nickel could be a type of finish. But that seems a bit obscure. Another thought: maybe they are all "words that can be types of insects"? Soldier ant, wing (part of insect), bill (beak of a bird, not insect), nickel (nickel beetle? not common). I recall that in some Connections puzzles, categories like "MILITARY RANKS" might include Private, Major, General, etc. But we already used PRIVATE and MAJOR. SOLDIER is not a rank; it's a general term. So not that. Wait, perhaps the category is "THINGS THAT CAN BE PRECEDED BY 'PERSONAL'"? Personal wing? No. Personal nickel? No. Personal bill? Personal soldier? No. Given the previous categories were fairly straightforward, maybe this last one is also straightforward. Let's list the words again: WING, NICKEL, BILL, SOLDIER. Could they all be associated with "money" in some way? Nickel (coin), Bill (banknote), Wing (slang for money? not really), Soldier (slang for money? not really). But maybe "wing" could be a term in gambling? Or "soldier" could refer to a poker chip? Not sure. Perhaps they are all "words that can be used as surnames": Wing, Nickel, Bill, Soldier. Soldier is not a common surname, but it exists. Bill is a common nickname for William, but not a surname. Nickel is a surname. Wing is a surname. That might be a stretch. Given that we have only one guess left (since we've made three correct guesses, we have used three guesses, and we have three more guesses allowed? Actually, the game allows at most 6 total guesses, with 4 mistakes allowed. We haven't made any mistakes yet, so we have three more guesses if needed. But we want to be correct. Perhaps I should consider the possibility that these four words are the last category. In many Connections puzzles, there are four groups of four. So these four must go together. What could it be? Let's think about the words in the context of the puzzle's theme. Sometimes puzzles have a theme like "Currency" (which we had), "Importance" (had), "Privacy" (had), and maybe "Military" or "Parts of something". One common category in word games is "___ DOG" or something, but not here. Maybe they are all words that can be combined with "key" to form a phrase? Key wing? No. Key nickel? No. Key bill? Key soldier? No. Alternatively, they might be "types of workers"? Soldier is a worker, but wing, nickel, bill are not. Wait, perhaps they are all "words that can be preceded by 'inner'"? Inner wing? Inner nickel? No. Given that we have no other words, we must make a guess. I'll try to see if there's a category like "COINS AND CURRENCY" but we already had currency names. This could be "U.S. COINAGE" but only nickel is a coin, bill is paper money, wing and soldier don't fit. Maybe the category is "BIRD-RELATED TERMS": wing, bill, and then soldier bird? Nickel? There is a bird called the "nickel bird"? Not that I know. I'll do a quick search in my memory: In some puzzles, "nickel" and "dime" are together, but dime isn't here. "Bill" and "dollar" are together, but dollar is gone. "Wing" and "inner" could be together but inner is gone. "Soldier" and "private" could be together but private is gone. Maybe the category is "THINGS THAT CAN BE MODIFIED BY 'SECRET'": secret wing? secret nickel? secret bill? secret soldier? Not really. Another idea: perhaps they are all "words that can be types of defenses" in sports? Nickel defense (football), wing defense (netball?), soldier defense? Bill defense? Not likely. Given the puzzle is from NYT Connections, the categories are usually clever but not overly obscure. I've seen categories like "Military Ranks", but we have only soldier left from that. Wait, maybe the category is "RANKS" but we already used PRIVATE and MAJOR. PRINCIPAL could be a rank in some contexts, but we used it in the important category. So maybe not. Let's consider that the puzzle might have a theme of homophones or words with double meanings. For example, "bill" can mean a beak, "wing" is a part of a bird, "soldier" can be an ant, "nickel" can be a metal. But no common theme. Perhaps the category is "THINGS THAT ARE FIVE-RELATED": nickel (5 cents), bill (5-dollar bill), wing (5th wing? no), soldier (5-star soldier? no). I recall that in some contexts, "wing" can refer to a political faction, "soldier" can refer to a loyal follower, "nickel" can refer to something cheap, and "bill" can refer to legislation. That might be a category: "POLITICAL TERMS"? Bill (proposed law), wing (political wing), soldier (political soldier, meaning a dedicated activist), nickel (nickel-and-dime politics?). That seems forced. Maybe it's "WORDS THAT CAN BE USED AS VERBS" as I thought earlier. Let's check: to wing (to fly or improvise), to nickel (to nickel-and-dime, meaning to charge small amounts), to bill (to charge), to soldier (to persevere). All can be verbs. That seems plausible. And it's a common type of category in word puzzles: "WORDS THAT CAN BE VERBS". And it uses all four words. That might be it. Given that, I'll go with that category. Confidence: Not extremely high, but it seems the most coherent among the possibilities. I'll set confidence to 0.6. So my guess is WING, NICKEL, BILL, SOLDIER. </thinking> <guess> WING, NICKEL, BILL, SOLDIER </guess> <confidence> 0.6 </confidence>

<guess> DEBUT, PREMIERE, LAUNCH, INTRODUCTION </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE, MOTHER, BURNS </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

<guess> POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, SAINT PATRICK </guess> <confidence> 0.6 </confidence>

We have 2 incorrect guesses so far, with 2 incorrect guesses remaining (since we are allowed 4 mistakes total, and we've used 2). The correct categories so far: the first guess was correct (DEBUT, PREMIERE, LAUNCH, INTRODUCTION). That category was likely "first appearances" or "beginnings". Now we have to find other categories from the remaining words. Remaining words after removing the correct ones: POPE, M.L.B. PLAYER, PRESIDENT, SAINT PATRICK, MOTHER, CLERGY MEMBER, BURNS, N.F.L. PLAYER, LORDE, BIRD, SAINT VALENTINE, BISHOP. We just guessed POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, SAINT PATRICK and it was incorrect. So that combination is not a category. Maybe the religious category excludes saints? Or maybe saints are separate? Perhaps the category is "titles/roles" or something else. Let's think of possible categories. We have sports players: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER. Only two, so they might be part of a broader category like "professions" or "people". But we have other professions: PRESIDENT, CLERGY MEMBER, etc. We have specific names: SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE, LORDE, BURNS. LORDE is a singer, BURNS could be Robert Burns (poet) or burns as in injuries? But in the context, likely Robert Burns. SAINT PATRICK and SAINT VALENTINE are saints. So maybe a category of "famous people known by one name" or "mononyms"? LORDE is a mononym, BURNS is a surname, but Saints are often referred to by one name? Patrick and Valentine are first names. That might not be strong. Another idea: maybe there is a category of "things associated with days": SAINT PATRICK (St. Patrick's Day), SAINT VALENTINE (Valentine's Day), MOTHER (Mother's Day), and maybe BURNS (Burns Night). That was my second guess, but it was incorrect. Perhaps it's not the category. But maybe it is, and I just missed the right combination? But I guessed exactly those four and it said incorrect. So that's not it. Perhaps "BIRD" is a word that might fit with something else? BIRD could be a slang for something, or maybe it's part of a phrase: "Bird" could be associated with "St. Valentine" (love birds?) but not clear. Let's consider that the game might have categories like "Religious figures", "Sports", "Family members", "Music artists", etc. But we need groups of four. Maybe there is a category for "Leaders": POPE, PRESIDENT, BISHOP, and maybe CLERGY MEMBER? But CLERGY MEMBER is broad. Or "Positions of authority": POPE, PRESIDENT, BISHOP, and maybe M.L.B. PLAYER? That doesn't fit. Another angle: Look at words that can be verbs or nouns? BURNS can be a verb, but others are mostly nouns. Maybe there is a category of "People with titles": POPE, PRESIDENT, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER? But CLERGY MEMBER is not a specific title. We have two saints: SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE. Could they be part of a category with two others? Maybe with BIRD? Like "Symbols associated with saints"? Not sure. Let's list all remaining words: - POPE - M.L.B. PLAYER - PRESIDENT - SAINT PATRICK - MOTHER - CLERGY MEMBER - BURNS - N.F.L. PLAYER - LORDE - BIRD - SAINT VALENTINE - BISHOP We need to find four that are clearly connected. Perhaps the religious category is POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and something else? But we tried with SAINT PATRICK and it was wrong. Maybe it's POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and MOTHER? Mother could be "Mother Teresa" or a religious mother? But not typically a clergy member. Maybe there is a category for "Members of the clergy": POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and then maybe SAINT PATRICK was a bishop? Actually, St. Patrick was a bishop. And St. Valentine was a priest? So perhaps both saints are clergy. But we tried with one saint and it was wrong. Maybe the category is "Christian clergy" and includes both saints? But there are only four slots. Let's see if we have exactly four clergy: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and then either saint? But CLERGY MEMBER is a general term, so maybe the category is "religious titles" and includes POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and maybe PRESIDENT? No. Maybe the category is "Heads of organizations": POPE (Catholic Church), PRESIDENT (country), BISHOP (diocese), and maybe M.L.B. PLAYER? No. Another idea: Some words might be related to fire or heat? BURNS, but others don't fit. Maybe "BIRD" is a category with other words? But only one bird. Wait, "BIRD" might be part of a phrase like "birdie" in golf? Not sure. Let's consider the possibility of categories based on wordplay or double meanings. For example, "BURNS" could refer to the poet Robert Burns, and "LORDE" is a singer, "BIRD" could be Charlie Parker (jazz musician) or something, but that's a stretch. Maybe there is a category of "Famous people with last names as common words": BURNS, BIRD (Larry Bird?), LORDE (stage name), and maybe something else. But M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER are not specific. Perhaps "M.L.B. PLAYER" and "N.F.L. PLAYER" are part of a category "Professional athletes" but we need two more. Maybe "BIRD" is Larry Bird (NBA player), and "BURNS" could be a sports figure? Not likely. Let's think about the game "Connections" from NYT. Often categories are clever and sometimes involve wordplay. For example, one category might be "___ Day" where the words can precede "Day". That was my second guess: SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE, MOTHER, BURNS (as in Burns Night). But it was incorrect. Maybe it's not Burns, but something else. Could it be "PRESIDENT" (Presidents Day)? That's a holiday. So maybe the category is "Words that can precede 'Day' to form a holiday": SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE, MOTHER, PRESIDENT. That gives: Saint Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Presidents Day. That seems plausible. And BURNS might not be a widely recognized holiday like Burns Night is more niche. So maybe I guessed the wrong set. Let's try that. Alternatively, maybe "BURNS" is part of a different category. Also, note that "BURNS" might be part of a category with "LORDE" and "BIRD" and something else? Like "Singers" or "Musicians"? LORDE is a singer, BURNS could be Robert Burns who wrote poems set to music, BIRD is Charlie Parker (jazz musician), and maybe another musician? But we have "M.L.B. PLAYER" not a musician. Maybe "BURNS" is a surname of a famous person, and "LORDE" is a stage name, "BIRD" is a surname (Larry Bird), and "M.L.B. PLAYER" could be a generic term but doesn't fit. Given that we have limited guesses, I should try the holiday theory with PRESIDENT instead of BURNS. But also, we have to consider that the religious category might be correct but with a different combination. Maybe the religious category is POPE, BISHOP, SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE (all saints? Pope is not a saint necessarily, but some popes are saints). Actually, all popes are considered saints? Not all are canonized. Hmm. Maybe the category is "Canonized saints": SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE, POPE (some popes are saints), and BISHOP (many bishops are saints)? But not precise. Let's look for other groupings. I see "MOTHER" and "BIRD" might be related in phrases: "Mother bird" but that's two words. Another idea: Perhaps there is a category of "Family members" but only MOTHER is there. Maybe "MOTHER" is part of a category with "POP" (like Pope sounds like pop?) No. I recall that in Connections, sometimes categories are like "Things that can be preceded by 'Holy'". For example, "Holy Father" (Pope), "Holy See", etc. But not many. Given the time, let's try the holiday category with PRESIDENT, MOTHER, SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE. That is four words that can precede "Day" to form holidays: Presidents Day, Mother's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day. Note: Valentine's Day is often just "Valentine's Day" but "Saint Valentine's Day" is the full name. So it fits. I'll try that. </thinking> <guess> PRESIDENT, MOTHER, SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

We have two correct categories so far: 1) DEBUT, PREMIERE, LAUNCH, INTRODUCTION (beginnings/first appearances) and 2) PRESIDENT, MOTHER, SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE (words that can precede "Day" to form holidays). Now we have remaining words: POPE, M.L.B. PLAYER, CLERGY MEMBER, BURNS, N.F.L. PLAYER, LORDE, BIRD, BISHOP. We need to find two more categories among these eight words, each with four words. So we need to group them into two sets of four. Let's analyze the remaining words: - POPE - M.L.B. PLAYER - CLERGY MEMBER - BURNS - N.F.L. PLAYER - LORDE - BIRD - BISHOP We need to find connections. Possible categories: 1. Religious figures: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and maybe something else? But we have only three obvious religious roles: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER. Need a fourth. Could it be BURNS? No. LORDE? No. BIRD? No. M.L.B. PLAYER? No. So maybe not. 2. Sports: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, and maybe BIRD (Larry Bird, NBA player) and BURNS (maybe a sports figure? There is a baseball player named Burns? Or hockey? Not sure). But BIRD is a common word, and in Connections, sometimes they use names like "Bird" for athletes. Larry Bird is a famous NBA player. BURNS could refer to a sports figure: There is a hockey player named Burns (Brent Burns) or a baseball player (Mike Burns). But it's not as clear. Also, LORDE is not sports. So maybe sports category is M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD (as in Larry Bird), and BURNS (as in an athlete). But that would be mixing specific names with generic terms. Possibly the category is "Professional Athletes" and includes BIRD (Larry Bird) and BURNS (some athlete). But we need to confirm if BURNS is a known athlete. In pop culture, there is also "Burns" from The Simpsons, but that's not an athlete. 3. Music: LORDE is a singer. BURNS could be a musician (there is a DJ/producer named Burns). BIRD could be Charlie "Bird" Parker, jazz musician. And maybe something else? POPE? No. CLERGY MEMBER? No. So possibly three musicians? Not four. 4. Nature or animals: BIRD is one, but no others. 5. People with titles: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and maybe M.L.B. PLAYER? That's a stretch. 6. Maybe a category related to "The Simpsons": BURNS (Mr. Burns), and maybe others? Not likely. 7. Perhaps a category of "Words that can be verbs": BURNS (verb), BIRD (as in to bird-watch? not common), POPE (not a verb), etc. 8. Another idea: Maybe there is a category of "Church hierarchy" with POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and then maybe something like "CARDINAL" but not available. So maybe the religious category is only three, but we need four. Maybe the religious category is POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and then a word that can be associated with church but not obviously. For example, "SAINT" but we already used saints. So perhaps the fourth is something else like "PRIEST" but not there. Wait, we have "LORDE" which sounds like "Lord", which is a religious term. But LORDE is specifically the singer's stage name, derived from "Lord". Could it be that LORDE is grouped with religious titles? That seems far-fetched. Maybe there is a category of "Homophones": LORDE (Lord), BIRD (burred?), BURNS (Bern's?), not clear. Let's think differently. Perhaps one category is "Sports" and the other is "Religious Figures". But we have only three religious figures unless we include something else. Could "BURNS" be a religious figure? Robert Burns was a poet, not religious. "BIRD" could be a symbol in religion (dove), but not a figure. Maybe the religious category is actually "Members of the Catholic Church" and includes POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and maybe "SAINT" but saints are used. So maybe the game considers saints as separate. Given that we have two categories left, we need to partition the eight words into two groups of four. Let's try to find a clear group of four. Look at M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER: they are both professional sports league players. Could there be two more words that represent other sports leagues? For example, "BIRD" might represent NBA (Larry Bird) and "BURNS" might represent NHL (Brent Burns). So the category could be "Professional Sports League Players" covering MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL. That is plausible. BIRD for NBA (Larry Bird is iconic), BURNS for NHL (Brent Burns is a famous hockey player). That would make four: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. Is that a common Connections category? Possibly. Then the remaining words would be POPE, CLERGY MEMBER, LORDE, BISHOP. That leaves four: POPE, CLERGY MEMBER, BISHOP, and LORDE. What could be the connection? Maybe they are all "Titles or roles"? But LORDE is a stage name, not a title. Alternatively, maybe LORDE is grouped with BIRD and BURNS as "Famous people with one-word names"? But then we'd have LORDE, BIRD, BURNS, and maybe something else. But we already have M.L.B. PLAYER which is not a one-word name. So the sports category with BIRD and BURNS seems more coherent. Let's check if BIRD and BURNS are commonly associated with sports. Larry Bird is one of the most famous NBA players. Brent Burns is a well-known NHL defenseman. So it's plausible that the puzzle uses them to represent NBA and NHL players. The category might be "Sports Figures" or "Professional Athletes". If that's the case, then the remaining four: POPE, CLERGY MEMBER, BISHOP, and LORDE. What connects LORDE to the religious terms? Maybe the category is "Words that can be preceded by 'The' to form a title"? The Pope, The Clergy, The Bishop, The Lord? But LORDE is not "The Lord" exactly, though it sounds similar. Or maybe the category is "Religious Titles" and LORDE is a play on "Lord". That seems a bit of a stretch but possible in Connections puzzles. Alternatively, maybe LORDE is not part of that group, and we have misgrouped. Maybe the other category is "Famous People Known by One Name": LORDE, BIRD (Larry Bird is often just "Bird"), BURNS (could be Robert Burns, often referred to as Burns), and maybe POPE (The Pope is a single name? But it's a title). Not sure. Let's list the eight words again and see if there is another grouping. Group A (sports): M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. Group B (religious): POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and then LORDE? Or maybe "LORDE" is not religious; perhaps the fourth is something else. But we have only these eight. Maybe BIRD is not sports but part of a different category. For example, BIRD could be with BURNS and LORDE as "Famous singers/musicians"? BIRD as in Charlie Parker, BURNS as in Robert Burns (poet/musician), LORDE as singer. But then we need a fourth musician. Could POPE be a musician? There is a band called "Pope" or something? Not likely. Alternatively, maybe there is a category of "Words that can be verbs": BURNS, BIRD (as in to observe birds), POPE (no), etc. Given that we have limited guesses (we have made 3 guesses total: 1 correct, 2 incorrect, so we have 3 guesses left? Actually, we are allowed 6 total guesses, and we have used 3, so we have 3 more guesses. But we only need to find two more categories, so we have some room. But we want to be efficient. Let's try the sports category first: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. That seems like a reasonable guess. If that is correct, then the remaining four would automatically be the other category, which we can guess next. I'll go with that. </thinking> <guess> M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

We have one incorrect guess remaining (since we've made 3 incorrect guesses total: the second guess, the third guess, and now this fourth guess were all incorrect; the first guess was correct, and the fifth guess (the holiday one) was correct). Actually, let's count: - Guess 1: DEBUT, PREMIERE, LAUNCH, INTRODUCTION -> CORRECT - Guess 2: SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE, MOTHER, BURNS -> INCORRECT - Guess 3: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, SAINT PATRICK -> INCORRECT - Guess 4: PRESIDENT, MOTHER, SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE -> CORRECT - Guess 5: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS -> INCORRECT So we have used 5 guesses, with 3 incorrect guesses (we are allowed 4 mistakes, so we have 1 incorrect guess left). We have one more guess before we lose if it's incorrect? Actually, the rule says "at most 6 total guesses (4 mistakes allowed)". So we have made 5 guesses, with 3 mistakes. We can make one more mistake before we lose, but we also have to make the correct final guess. We still need to find the remaining two categories. But after the last incorrect guess, we haven't been told the correct categories, so we still have 8 words left: POPE, M.L.B. PLAYER, CLERGY MEMBER, BURNS, N.F.L. PLAYER, LORDE, BIRD, BISHOP? Wait, check: after the correct holiday guess, we removed PRESIDENT, MOTHER, SAINT PATRICK, SAINT VALENTINE. Then we guessed M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS and it was incorrect, so those words are still available? Actually, when a guess is incorrect, the words are not removed. So all words that haven't been correctly guessed are still available. So the remaining words are: POPE, M.L.B. PLAYER, CLERGY MEMBER, BURNS, N.F.L. PLAYER, LORDE, BIRD, BISHOP. That's 8 words. We need to find two groups of four. We need to reconsider the groupings. Our sports guess was incorrect, so BIRD and BURNS are not part of a sports category with M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER. So what else could they be? Let's think about possible connections. Maybe one category is "Religious figures" with POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and then maybe something like "LORDE" as in "Lord"? That could be a stretch, but perhaps the category is "Titles for religious leaders": Pope, Bishop, Clergy Member, and Lord (as in God or a noble title)? But LORDE is spelled with an E, and it's a singer. However, in wordplay puzzles, they might use homophones or near-homophones. So LORDE could stand for "Lord". That is possible. If so, then the remaining four would be M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. What category could those four form? Perhaps "Famous people with surnames as common nouns": Bird (Larry Bird), Burns (Robert Burns or possibly a sports figure), and then M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER are not specific surnames. But maybe the category is "Professional athletes" but we already tried that and it was incorrect. So maybe not. Maybe BIRD and BURNS are not athletes. BIRD could be associated with "birdie" in golf, but still sports. Another idea: Perhaps BIRD and BURNS are part of a category with LORDE and something else like "Musicians/Performers". LORDE is a singer, BIRD is Charlie Parker (jazz musician), BURNS could be Robert Burns (poet, but his works are often sung), and maybe something else? But we have POPE, which could be a musician? There is a rapper named Pope? Not sure. Maybe the category is "Words that can be verbs": BURNS (verb), BIRD (as a verb meaning to watch birds), and maybe others? POPE can be a verb meaning to act as pope? Rare. LORDE not a verb. Perhaps one category is "Church positions" and includes POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and then maybe "PASTOR" but not there. Maybe the religious category is only three, but we need four, so perhaps "SAINT" but we already used saints. Or maybe "CARDINAL" but not there. Let's look at the words: M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER are both "professional sports players". Could they be part of a category like "Jobs" or "Occupations"? Then CLERGY MEMBER is an occupation, and maybe BURNS is a poet (occupation), but BIRD is not an occupation. LORDE is a singer (occupation). So maybe the category is "Occupations" but that would include many words, and we need exactly four. Maybe there is a category of "People often referred to by last name only": BURNS (Robert Burns), BIRD (Larry Bird), LORDE (stage name, but it's a last name? Actually, Lorde's real name is Ella Yelich-O'Connor, so Lorde is a stage name, not a last name. But it's a single name). POPE is sometimes used as a last name, but not typically. Perhaps the category is "Famous people with one-word monikers": LORDE, BIRD (as in Larry Bird's nickname), BURNS (could be a nickname), and maybe POPE (as in the Pope is called "Pope"). But again, not sure. Given the time pressure, we need to make a careful guess. We have one incorrect guess left. If we guess wrong, we lose. So we want to be as confident as possible. Let's list all words and see if there are any clear connections we missed. Remaining words: 1. POPE 2. M.L.B. PLAYER 3. CLERGY MEMBER 4. BURNS 5. N.F.L. PLAYER 6. LORDE 7. BIRD 8. BISHOP We need two groups of four. Idea: Maybe one group is "Sports-related" but not necessarily players. Could be "Things in sports" but BIRD and BURNS don't fit unless they are specific terms. In baseball, there is a "bird" (like the Orioles team) and "burns" isn't a term. In football, no. Another idea: Perhaps the group is "Words that can be preceded by 'The' to form a famous entity or person": The Pope, The Clergy, The Bishop, The Lord (LORDE). That seems plausible. And the other group could be "Professional athletes" but we tried that and it was wrong. So maybe the other group is something else: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. What could connect these four? Perhaps they are all "Things that can be associated with teams": MLB and NFL are leagues, Bird could be a team name (like Baltimore Orioles are birds), Burns could be a team name? Not really. Maybe BIRD and BURNS are not with the sports players. Maybe BIRD and BURNS are with LORDE and something else as "Famous people from New Zealand"? Lorde is from New Zealand, Robert Burns is from Scotland, Larry Bird is from the US, not consistent. Maybe BIRD and BURNS are with POPE and something else? For example, "Words that can be types of something": Pope is a type of clergy, Bishop is a type of clergy, Clergy Member is a type, and maybe Burns is a type of injury? Not. Let's think about the game Connections: sometimes categories are like "___ Board" or "___ of the Year". Maybe one category is "Nobel Prize categories": Peace, Literature, etc., but no. Wait, could there be a category of "Things that are elected or appointed"? Pope is elected, President is elected but already used. Clergy members might be appointed, bishops appointed. Not sure. Given that we have limited time, perhaps we should consider that the religious group is POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and LORDE (as in Lord). I've seen puzzles where they use wordplay like that. For example, in one Connections puzzle, they had "Lord" as part of a category with noble titles. So I'll go with that. Then the remaining group is M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. What could that be? Maybe they are all "Things that have leagues" or "Professional organizations". But BIRD and BURNS don't have leagues. Alternatively, maybe BIRD and BURNS are not with the sports players. Maybe the sports players are with something else? But we only have four left if we take the religious group. So if I guess the religious group as POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, LORDE, then the remaining four are automatically the other category. But we need to be sure that the remaining four form a valid category. Let's check: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. What category could that be? Perhaps "Things that can be found on a baseball field" but BIRD? A bird might be on the field, burns? No. Maybe BIRD is a golf term (birdie), and BURNS is a golf term? Burns is not a golf term. Another thought: BIRD and BURNS could be last names of famous players. So the category might be "Professional athletes' last names": Bird, Burns, and then M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER are not last names. That doesn't work. Maybe the category is "Famous people with sports awards": Bird won MVP, Burns won Norris trophy, MLB and NFL players can win awards. But that's vague. Given that we are forced to make a guess, perhaps we should try the religious group with LORDE. But if that is incorrect, we lose. Alternatively, we could try a different grouping. Let's search online memory for common Connections categories. I recall that sometimes they have categories like "Types of Leaders" or "Church Hierarchy". Without POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY, and maybe DEACON but not here. Maybe LORDE is part of a category with BIRD and BURNS as "Famous people with one-word stage names": Lorde, Bird (as in Lady Bird? but that's two words), Burns (as in Robert Burns is usually two words). Not solid. Another idea: Perhaps the category is "Words that can be followed by 'Day' but not as a holiday"? That was already used. Wait, we already have a holiday category. So that's done. Maybe one category is "Sports" and the other is "Music". But we have only two sports terms and maybe two music terms: LORDE (singer), BIRD (jazz musician), BURNS (poet/musician), and maybe something else? But we have POPE which could be a music artist? There is a rapper named Pop Smoke, but not Pope. Not. Perhaps M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER are not together. Could M.L.B. PLAYER be with BIRD and BURNS as "Baseball terms"? In baseball, there is a "bird" (bird dog scout), and "burns" (fastball burns?) No. Let's think about the word "BIRD". It could be a slang for a woman, or something. "BURNS" could be a Scottish poet. "LORDE" is a singer. "POPE" is a religious figure. Maybe one category is "Famous poets/writers": BURNS (Robert Burns), POPE (Alexander Pope), and then BIRD (??), LORDE (singer-songwriter, also writes lyrics). That could be a stretch. Alexander Pope is a famous poet. Robert Burns is a poet. Lorde is a songwriter. Bird? Maybe not. Alexander Pope is indeed a famous poet. So if we consider "Pope" as Alexander Pope, then we have poets: Pope, Burns. Then maybe "Bird" as in the poet "Bird" (not sure). Lorde as songwriter. But we also have clergy member and bishop, which don't fit. If we take Pope as Alexander Pope, then maybe the category is "Famous writers' last names": Pope, Burns, and then maybe "Bird" (?)? But we have "CLERGY MEMBER" which doesn't fit. Given the difficulty, perhaps the religious category is correct without LORDE, and we need to find a fourth religious word. Could "BIRD" be a religious symbol? The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. But "bird" is generic. In Christianity, there is the "Holy Spirit" depicted as a dove, which is a bird. So maybe BIRD is part of the religious category? That would give: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, BIRD. That could be a category like "Things associated with Christianity" or "Symbols/figures in Christianity". But BIRD is a stretch, and we have LORDE left. If we take that, then the remaining are M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, LORDE, BURNS. What could that be? Maybe "Entertainers" or "Performers"? Lorde is a performer, Burns could be a performer (stand-up comedian? There is a comedian named George Burns). George Burns was a famous comedian and actor. So BURNS could refer to George Burns. And MLB and NFL players are entertainers in a way, as athletes are entertainers. So the category could be "Entertainers" or "Public Figures". That might work. Alternatively, BURNS could refer to George Burns, who was an entertainer. Lorde is an entertainer. MLB and NFL players are athletes, who are also entertainers. So the category could be "People in the public eye" or "Celebrities". That seems plausible. Let's consider the religious category: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, BIRD. Is BIRD really a part of that? In what way? Maybe as in "The Bird" is a symbol, but not a person. The category might be "Things in a church" or "Religious icons". But bird is not typically in a church. Maybe the religious category is "Members of the clergy" and BIRD is not that. Perhaps the religious category is exactly three, and we need to include LORDE as the fourth? I'm leaning towards the entertainer category. We have one guess left. We need to decide. Let's search our memory for common Connections puzzles. I recall a puzzle where they had a category like "Professional Sports Leagues" with abbreviations: MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL. But here we have "M.L.B. PLAYER" and "N.F.L. PLAYER", not just the leagues. But BIRD and BURNS could represent NBA and NHL players? But our guess with that was incorrect. So maybe not. Wait, our guess was incorrect, so that combination is not a category. So the sports players are not with BIRD and BURNS. Therefore, M.L.B. PLAYER and N.F.L. PLAYER must be in a different category. Possibly with two other words that are also professions or something. Maybe the category is "Jobs ending in -er": PLAYER is a job ending in -er, but CLERGY MEMBER doesn't end in -er. BISHOP doesn't. POPE doesn't. Another idea: Maybe the category is "People who wear uniforms": MLB player, NFL player, clergy member (robes), bishop (robes), pope (robes). That's more than four, but we could pick four. But we need to pick exactly four. Given the remaining words, I think the most likely is that one category is religious figures: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and LORDE (as Lord). And the other is entertainers/sports: M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, BIRD, BURNS. But we already tried that combination for the second category and it was incorrect. So that means either the religious category is not with LORDE, or the entertainers category is not with BIRD and BURNS. So perhaps the religious category is POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and something else. The only other word that could fit is maybe "LORDE" or "BIRD". I already considered BIRD. What about "BURNS"? Not religious. Maybe the religious category is only three, but we have to include a fourth that is a stretch. Could "M.L.B. PLAYER" be religious? No. Perhaps the category is "Leaders" and includes POPE, BISHOP, and maybe M.L.B. PLAYER (team leader?) and N.F.L. PLAYER? Not. Another thought: In Connections, sometimes categories are based on synonyms or words that can be combined with another word. For example, "Bird" and "Burns" might be part of a category with "Lorde" and "Pope" as "Words that can follow 'Lady'": Lady Bird, Lady Burns? Not. Lady Lorde? No. Maybe "Burns" and "Bird" are parts of phrases: "Bird" can be part of "birdie" in golf, "burns" can be part of "burns unit" or something. I'm running out of time. Let's think about the word "LORDE". It is a singer known for songs like "Royals". "BIRD" could be associated with "bird song". "BURNS" could be associated with "burns" as in songs that are hits? Not. Maybe one category is "Things that can be verbs in the present tense": burns, bird (as a verb), and maybe others? Pope can be a verb? Not commonly. I recall that in one Connections puzzle, they had a category "NBA Legends" with Bird, and others. But here we have only Bird. Perhaps the correct grouping is: Category 1: Religious titles - POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, and maybe "LORDE" as in "Lord" (a title). Category 2: Sports - M.L.B. PLAYER, N.F.L. PLAYER, and then two other sports? But we have BIRD and BURNS left, but they might not be sports. Maybe BIRD is a sports team (like the Cardinals), but not a player. Given that we have one guess left, I need to make a decision. I will guess the religious category with LORDE, because it seems the most common type of wordplay in Connections. So I'll guess: POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, LORDE. If that is correct, then the remaining four will be automatically the other category, and we win. If it's incorrect, we lose. But we have to make a guess anyway. Let's go with that. </thinking> <guess> POPE, BISHOP, CLERGY MEMBER, LORDE </guess> <confidence> 0.5 </confidence>

<guess> WING, CABIN, ENGINE, NOSE </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> EAR, STALK, HEAD, BULB </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> CANDLE, HONEYCOMB, CRAYON, SEAL </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> ROB, HOSE, STIFF, FLEECE </guess> <confidence> 1.0 </confidence>

<guess> DODGE, DUCK, DIP, DIVE </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> DODGE, FORD, RAM, LINCOLN </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> LARK, DIVE, ROCKET, SCRAPER </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

We have correctly guessed two categories: Car brands and words that combine with "sky". Remaining words: DUCK, DIP, STAR, CHIP, WING, FLYER, SENATOR, FRY. Now, we need to find another category among these eight words. We can guess up to two more categories (since we have 8 words left, and each category is 4 words). We have used 2 guesses so far, and we have 2 incorrect guesses remaining (since we started with 4 mistakes allowed, and we've had 0 incorrect guesses? Wait, actually we had one incorrect guess: our first guess was incorrect, then we guessed correctly twice. So total guesses used: 3 (1 incorrect, 2 correct). We have 3 incorrect guesses remaining? Actually the rule: at most 6 total guesses (4 mistakes allowed). We've made 3 guesses so far: 1 incorrect, 2 correct. So we have 3 more guesses available (but we can only make 2 more categories because there are 8 words left, and each correct guess removes 4 words). But we might make incorrect guesses. Anyway, let's think about categories. Remaining words: DUCK, DIP, STAR, CHIP, WING, FLYER, SENATOR, FRY. I notice some possible groupings: - Birds or bird-related: DUCK, WING, FLYER (but FLYER can also be a pamphlet or something that flies, and we need a fourth). LARK is already used. So not four. - Food/cooking terms: DIP, CHIP, FRY, and maybe something else? DUCK could be a food, but not a cooking method. DIP, CHIP, FRY are all cooking/food preparation terms. Could DUCK be a food? Yes, but it's also an animal. Maybe the category is "Things you can do with potatoes" or "Ways to prepare food" but DIP and FRY are methods, CHIP is a product. Hmm. - Political: SENATOR, and maybe STAR (as in movie star) but not political. Not enough. - Words that can be verbs or nouns: all of them can be both, but that's too broad. Another idea: DUCK, DIP, CHIP, FRY could be all things you can do with food? Actually DUCK is not a cooking method; it's a type of food. But DIP, CHIP, FRY are cooking-related. Maybe DUCK is a type of meat. Not consistent. Perhaps there is a category related to "something that can be preceded by 'French'": DIP (French dip), FRY (French fry), CHIP (French chip? Not common, but maybe "french chip" isn't a thing), DUCK (Canard in French, but not "French duck" as a common phrase). Not likely. Maybe words that can be followed by "wing": DUCK wing? Not common. STAR wing? No. Consider the previous categories: car brands and sky compound words. The remaining categories might be something like "Types of birds" or "Things that fly". DUCK (bird), WING (part of a bird), FLYER (something that flies), and maybe STAR? No, star doesn't fly. LARK is already used, so not. Alternatively, think about words that are also surnames or famous people: STAR (as in celebrity), SENATOR (politician), FLYER (maybe not), CHIP (as in Chip Kelly, coach), DIP (not really). Not convincing. Maybe there is a category of words that can be verbs meaning to move quickly or avoid: DUCK, DIP, but we already tried that and it was incorrect. DIVE is already used. So not. Let's consider the possibility of "Things in the sky": STAR, WING (bird's wing), FLYER (bird or plane), and maybe something else. DUCK flies, but it's a bird. But we have DUCK as a word. Actually DUCK is a bird that flies. So DUCK, STAR, WING, FLYER could be "things associated with the sky or flying"? But STAR is in the sky, WING is used for flying, FLYER is something that flies, DUCK is a flying bird. That could be a category. However, we already used a sky-related category (words that combine with "sky"), so maybe not another sky category. Alternatively, perhaps "Ways to cook potatoes": CHIP, FRY, and maybe DIP (as in chip dip), and something else? STAR? No. Maybe "Types of shots in basketball": DIP? Not really. STAR? No. Another idea: DIP, CHIP, FRY, and WING? As in appetizers: chicken wings, chips and dip, french fries. That could be "Bar snacks" or "Appetizers". DUCK isn't typically a bar snack, but duck wings? Maybe not. DUCK could be in a restaurant, but not common as a snack. Maybe "Parts of a bird": DUCK (the whole bird), WING, and what else? FLYER? Not a part. CHIP? No. Let's look at the words again: DUCK, DIP, STAR, CHIP, WING, FLYER, SENATOR, FRY. Perhaps there is a category of "Homophones of body parts": DUCK (duct?), DIP (dip is not a body part), STAR (not), CHIP (not), WING (wing is a body part but not homophone), FLYER (not), SENATOR (not), FRY (fry sounds like "fry" but not a body part). No. Maybe they are all words that can be preceded by "fire": FIRE DUCK? No. FIRE DIP? No. FIRE STAR? Firestar? Not common. FIRE CHIP? No. FIRE WING? No. FIRE FLYER? Firefly? That's one word. FIRE SENATOR? No. FIRE FRY? No. What about "flying" things: DUCK (bird), WING (part for flying), FLYER (something that flies), and maybe STAR? No. Wait, maybe there is a category of "Things that can be 'shooting'": shooting star, shooting duck (as in hunting), shooting fry? No. Perhaps "Nicknames for sports teams": Ducks (Anaheim Ducks), Stars (Dallas Stars), Flyers (Philadelphia Flyers), and maybe Senators (Ottawa Senators)? That's it! DUCK could refer to the Anaheim Ducks (NHL team), STAR could be Dallas Stars, FLYER could be Philadelphia Flyers, and SENATOR could be Ottawa Senators. That is a perfect category: "NHL Teams" or "Professional Hockey Teams". And we have exactly those four words: DUCK, STAR, FLYER, SENATOR. That leaves DIP, CHIP, WING, FRY as the last category. So my next guess should be DUCK, STAR, FLYER, SENATOR. What about the remaining words: DIP, CHIP, WING, FRY. What could they be? Possibly "Things you eat with your fingers" or "Food items"? DIP (like sauce), CHIP (potato chip), FRY (French fry), WING (chicken wing). That could be "Finger foods" or "Appetizers". That seems plausible. So I'll guess the hockey teams first. Confidence: High, because it's a common category in Connections to have sports teams. </thinking> <guess> DUCK, STAR, FLYER, SENATOR </guess> <confidence> 0.95</confidence>

<guess> DIP, CHIP, WING, FRY </guess> <confidence> 0.9</confidence>

<guess> ARM, WING, FLIPPER, FIN </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> KETTLE, MICROWAVE, STOVETOP, POPPER </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

We have two correct guesses so far: 1. ARM, WING, FLIPPER, FIN (animal appendages) 2. KETTLE, MICROWAVE, STOVETOP, POPPER (kitchen appliances) Remaining words: TRIFLE, SWEET, TENDER, THROW, KIND, FIDDLE, FRITTER, WARM. Now we need to find another group of four from these eight words. Let's analyze possible connections. First, let's list them: TRIFLE, SWEET, TENDER, THROW, KIND, FIDDLE, FRITTER, WARM. Potential categories: - Food items: TRIFLE (a dessert), SWEET (could be a sweet food or adjective), TENDER (as in chicken tender, or adjective), FRITTER (a fried food). But SWEET and TENDER could also be adjectives. - Adjectives describing personality or temperament: SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM. All can describe a person's nature. This seems plausible. - Verbs: THROW, FIDDLE (as in to fiddle with something), WARM (as verb), but TRIFLE can also be a verb (to trifle with). However, not all are primarily verbs. - Maybe phrases or idioms: "throw a fit" but not matching. Let's consider the adjective group: SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM. All are adjectives that can describe someone's character or disposition. That seems like a neat category. Are there any other groupings? TRIFLE and FRITTER are both foods. SWEET and TENDER could be food-related, but KIND is not typically a food. If we take food, we might have TRIFLE, SWEET (as a noun meaning candy/dessert), TENDER (as in chicken tender), FRITTER. But SWEET as a noun is common (e.g., "eating sweets"), and TENDER as a noun (chicken tender) is specific. That could be a category: types of foods or dishes. However, KIND doesn't fit that group. Maybe there is a category related to "play" or "mess around": FIDDLE, TRIFLE (as verbs), but THROW and WARM don't fit. Another possibility: words that can be verbs: THROW, FIDDLE, WARM, and maybe TRIFLE (to trifle with). But that seems weak. Given Connections puzzles often have categories like personality traits, the group SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM seems strong. They are all positive adjectives for someone's demeanor. Check: SWEET - kind and pleasant, TENDER - gentle and caring, KIND - generous/considerate, WARM - friendly and affectionate. Yes. That leaves TRIFLE, THROW, FIDDLE, FRITTER. What could these be? Possibly words that can be preceded by "pop"? Not sure. Or maybe they are all things you can do? TRIFLE (verb), THROW (verb), FIDDLE (verb), FRITTER (verb - as in fritter away). Actually, all four can be verbs: to trifle (to treat without seriousness), to throw, to fiddle (to tinker), to fritter (to waste little by little). That might be another category: verbs meaning to waste time or misuse? But "throw" doesn't necessarily imply waste. Alternatively, they might all be words that combine with "away": trifle away, throw away, fiddle away, fritter away. Yes! That's a common phrase: "fritter away time", "fiddle away", "trifle away", "throw away". Actually, "throw away" is very common. So possibly the category is "___ AWAY" verbs. But let's verify: - Trifle away: less common but possible ("trifle away time"). - Throw away: very common. - Fiddle away: "fiddle away the hours" is used. - Fritter away: common. So that could be a group. But then what about SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM? That also seems plausible. Maybe the game has four categories total. We already have two. So we need to find two more from the remaining eight. We need to group them correctly. Let's see if there are other connections. For example, TRIFLE and FRITTER are both fried desserts? Trifle is a layered dessert, not fried. Fritter is fried. Not sure. Maybe some words relate to "corn": POPPER was used, but we have SWEET corn? Not. Another thought: "___ arm" but ARM is already used. Perhaps the categories are: 1. Animal appendages (done) 2. Kitchen appliances (done) 3. Personality traits (SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM) 4. Words that can follow "pot": TRIFLE? No. Kettle? Already used. Popper? Used. Not. Wait, "pot" could go with: pot holder, pot belly, etc. Not matching. Maybe the last group is "deep-fried foods": FRITTER is deep-fried, but TRIFLE is not, TENDER (chicken tender) is often deep-fried, SWEET? Sweet potato fries? Not strong. Let's look for common phrases. "Sweet tender" not a phrase. "Kind warm" not. Perhaps the group is "words that can be preceded by 'heart'": heartwarming, heartfelt, but not matching. I recall that in Connections puzzles, sometimes categories are based on compound words or phrases. For example, words that pair with "fish": fin, flipper? Already used. What about "throw" and "fiddle"? Could be "throw a fit", "fiddle while Rome burns", but not consistent. Let's list possible pairings with remaining words: - TRIFLE: could be "a trifle" (small amount) or dessert. - SWEET: sweet tooth, sweet corn, sweet talk. - TENDER: tender loving care, chicken tender, tender age. - THROW: throw pillow, throw rug, throw away. - KIND: kind of, kind hearted. - FIDDLE: fiddle with, fiddle while Rome burns. - FRITTER: fritter away, apple fritter. - WARM: warm up, warm hearted. Maybe one category is "words that can be followed by 'hearted'": kind-hearted, warm-hearted, tender-hearted, but sweet-hearted is less common though possible. That could be: TENDER, KIND, WARM, and maybe SWEET? Actually, sweet-hearted is a word. So TENDER-HEARTED, KIND-HEARTED, WARM-HEARTED, SWEET-HEARTED. That's a solid category: ___HEARTED. That seems very plausible. Then the remaining four: TRIFLE, THROW, FIDDLE, FRITTER. What could they be? Possibly they are all verbs that mean to waste or spend frivolously? As mentioned, they can all be used with "away": trifle away, throw away, fiddle away, fritter away. That is a good category: "___ AWAY" as in to squander. Alternatively, they might be all things you can do with time? Trifle away time, throw away time, fiddle away time, fritter away time. Given that the first two categories were fairly straightforward, the last two might be more about phrases. The ___HEARTED category seems strong. Let me double-check: - TENDERHEARTED: adjective, meaning compassionate. - KINDHEARTED: adjective, meaning generous and kindly. - WARMHEARTED: adjective, sympathetic and affectionate. - SWEETHEARTED: adjective, kind and loving. Yes, they are all compound adjectives describing a kind person. So that would be one group: SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM. Then the last group would be TRIFLE, THROW, FIDDLE, FRITTER. What is the connection? They can all be verbs meaning to handle carelessly or waste? Specifically, they can combine with "away" to mean squander: - Trifle away: to waste (time, money) on trivial matters. - Throw away: to discard or waste. - Fiddle away: to waste (time) by fiddling or tinkering. - Fritter away: to waste bit by bit. So the category could be "Squander synonyms" or "Words that pair with 'away' to mean waste". That seems like a valid Connections category. Thus, my next guess could be either group. Since the ___HEARTED group seems more obvious, I'll guess that one first. Confidence: high for ___HEARTED group. But note: in the game, we have to guess exactly four words. So if I guess SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM, that would be a guess. If correct, then the remaining four automatically form the last group, but I might still need to guess them? Actually, after three correct guesses, the game ends. So if this is correct, that would be the third correct group, and then I would guess the fourth group with my next guess (if needed). But the rules say we have at most 6 total guesses (4 mistakes allowed). So after three correct guesses, we have one group left, and we can guess it, but if we guess incorrectly, it counts as a mistake. However, sometimes the game reveals the last group automatically after three correct guesses? The instructions don't specify; it says we guess 4 related words. Possibly we need to guess all four groups. So we need to make guesses until all words are grouped correctly or we run out of guesses. Given that, I'll guess the ___HEARTED group now. </thinking> <guess> SWEET, TENDER, KIND, WARM </guess> <confidence> 0.85 </confidence>

<guess> TRIFLE, THROW, FIDDLE, FRITTER </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> READY, ABLE, WILLING, EAGER </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

We are told our guess was incorrect. We still have 3 incorrect guesses remaining (meaning we have used 1 mistake out of 4 allowed). We need to reconsider. We are not given additional feedback beyond "INCORRECT", so we don't know which words, if any, were correct individually. We have to work with the same available words. Let's list the available words again: EQUIP, GAME, READY, NOAA, CANE, NASA, ABLE, PREPARE, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., DOWN, WILLING, EAGER, SUBARU, OUTFIT, EAVE. We need to find groups of four that belong to a common category. Let's analyze possible categories. First, note there are several proper nouns/acronyms: NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU. That could be a category like "ACRONYMS" or "ORGANIZATIONS/BRANDS". However, SUBARU is a car brand, NASA and NOAA are U.S. government agencies, N.F.L. is a sports league. They might fit "THINGS WITH LOGOS" or "COMMON ABBREVIATIONS". But we need exactly four words. We have four: NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU. That seems plausible. Other words: EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT are verbs meaning to make ready. READY, ABLE, WILLING, EAGER are adjectives related to readiness. But our guess with READY, ABLE, WILLING, EAGER was incorrect. Maybe the category is not simply synonyms. Perhaps there is a more specific connection. Look at words like GAME, DOWN, CANE, EAVE, PARAMOUNT. These seem less related to readiness. Maybe some of them fit into categories like "FOOTBALL TERMS" (GAME, DOWN, N.F.L.? But N.F.L. is already an acronym). Or "WEATHER INSTRUMENTS" (NOAA, CANE? but CANE might be a walking cane or hurricane related?). Not sure. Consider the possibility of categories like "HOMOPHONES" or words that sound like other things. EAVE sounds like "Eve", CANE sounds like "Kane", etc. But that might be tricky. Maybe there are words that can be preceded by a common word to form a phrase. For example, "READY, WILLING, and ABLE" is a common phrase, but we already tried that and it was incorrect. Possibly the category is "WORDS THAT CAN BE PRECEDED BY 'PRE-'"? PREPARE is already "pre" + pare, but others? EQUIP? Not really. Another idea: Some words might be related to "SUPER BOWL" or something, because PARAMOUNT is a media company, N.F.L. is football, SUPER BOWL is often on Paramount? But not sure. Maybe we should look for groups of four that are clearly connected. Let's try to identify potential categories: 1. **Organizations/Brands**: NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU. All are well-known acronyms or brand names. This is a strong candidate. 2. **Synonyms for 'prepare' or 'get ready'**: EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT, READY? But READY is an adjective, the others are verbs. Possibly "WORDS MEANING TO MAKE READY". But we have to check if there are exactly four. We have EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT, and maybe GAME? (as in "to game the system"? Not really). Or READY as a verb? "Ready" can be a verb meaning to prepare. So maybe EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT, READY (as verbs). That could be a category: "VERBS MEANING TO PREPARE". But is READY commonly used as a verb? Yes, e.g., "ready yourself". So maybe that's a group. 3. **Words that can follow 'football'**: GAME, DOWN, N.F.L.? Not four. 4. **Words that can be types of something**: CANE might be a type of stick, EAVE is part of a roof, etc. 5. **Words that can be preceded by 'rain'**: RAIN EQUIP? Not. RAIN GAME? No. RAIN READY? Maybe. RAIN NOAA? No. RAIN CANE? Hurricane? Actually, "rain cane" isn't common. "Rain down" is a phrase, but DOWN is there. Not consistent. 6. **Words that are also names of companies**: PARAMOUNT, SUBARU, NASA (though NASA is an agency), N.F.L.? Possibly. 7. **Words that can be combined with 'car'**: SUBARU is a car, EQUIP can be car equipment, but others not. Maybe we should consider the possibility that the categories are the typical Connections puzzle categories: something like "Yellow: Easy, Green: Medium, Blue: Hard, Purple: Tricky". Our first guess might have been close but not exactly the intended category. For example, READY, ABLE, WILLING, EAGER might be "Synonyms for Enthusiastic" but ABLE is not really a synonym for enthusiastic. So maybe the category was "Words that can follow 'Ready, willing, and ___'" but that's only three words. Another thought: "ABLE, WILLING, READY, EAGER" might be "ADJECTIVES DESCRIBING WILLINGNESS", but the puzzle said incorrect. So perhaps that's not a category. Let's look at the remaining words and see if any other grouping jumps out. Notice: DOWN, GAME, READY, SET? But SET isn't there. Maybe "WORDS IN SPORTS COMMENTARY": DOWN, GAME, READY? Not four. Maybe there is a category related to "Weather": NOAA (weather agency), CANE (hurricane), DOWN (as in downpour), and something else? EAVE? Eaves protect from rain. But that seems stretched. Alternatively, maybe "PARAMOUNT, SUBARU, NASA, N.F.L." are "SPONSORS OR BROADCASTERS OF THE SUPER BOWL"? Paramount has broadcast rights, Subaru has ads, N.F.L. is the league, NASA? Not really. I think the acronyms group is very promising. Let's test that as our next guess. But we should also consider that the puzzle might have a category like "WORDS THAT CAN BE PRECEDED BY 'SOUP'": no. Another idea: "EQUIP, OUTFIT, GAME, PREPARE" could be "THINGS YOU DO BEFORE AN EVENT"? Not sure. Maybe there is a category of words that are also verbs: EQUIP, GAME, READY, PREPARE, OUTFIT, DOWN, CANE? But many are verbs. Perhaps we should list parts of speech: - Verbs: EQUIP, GAME (can be verb), READY (verb), PREPARE, OUTFIT (verb), DOWN (verb? "to down a drink"), CANE (verb, to beat with a cane), WILLING (adjective), EAGER (adjective), ABLE (adjective), etc. Maybe the categories are based on word play. Let's think about the word "EAVE". That's an unusual word. It might be part of a category like "PARTS OF A HOUSE": EAVE, but what else? DOWN? (downspout?), CANE? (cane furniture?), not obvious. Maybe "EAVE" is part of "EAVESDROPPING" but that's one word. Perhaps there is a category like "WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE LETTERS": EAVE sounds like "E", CANE sounds like "K", but others? Another approach: Look for words that can be combined with a common word to make a compound word or phrase. For example, "GAME DAY", "READY SET", "DOWN SET", "N.F.L. DRAFT"? Not consistent. Maybe the puzzle has a theme around "Super Bowl" because it's soon? The words NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU might appear in Super Bowl ads? Possibly. I recall that sometimes Connections puzzles have categories like "___ BOWL" (Super, Sugar, etc.) but not here. Let's try to find four words that are clearly connected. I'll try the acronyms group. But before guessing, we need to be careful: our first guess used READY, ABLE, WILLING, EAGER. Those words are still available? The rules say: "If a word has been correctly guessed, it shall not be used again." But since our guess was incorrect, none of those words were correctly guessed, so they are all still available for future guesses. So all words are still in play. Given that, I'll guess the acronyms group. Also, note that N.F.L. has periods, so it's written as "N.F.L." in the list. That might be intentional. So my next guess: NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU. Confidence: I'm fairly confident this is a valid category, maybe "ACRONYMS" or "ORGANIZATIONS". But not 100% sure because sometimes puzzles have more specific categories like "GOVERNMENT AGENCIES" but SUBARU is not a government agency. So maybe it's "COMMON ABBREVIATIONS" or "THINGS WITH LOGOS". I'll go with moderate confidence. </thinking> <guess> NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

We are told our guess was incorrect again. We have used 2 mistakes, so 2 incorrect guesses remaining. We need to reconsider the available words. All words are still available because none have been correctly guessed yet. Let's list the available words again: EQUIP, GAME, READY, NOAA, CANE, NASA, ABLE, PREPARE, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., DOWN, WILLING, EAGER, SUBARU, OUTFIT, EAVE. We have tried two groups: READY, ABLE, WILLING, EAGER (adjectives for willingness/preparedness) and NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU (acronyms/organizations). Both were incorrect. So those are likely not the intended categories, or at least not exactly four of those words in a single category. We need to think differently. Perhaps the categories are more subtle or involve wordplay. Let's look for other possible groupings. One idea: Some words can be associated with "football" because of N.F.L., but also GAME, DOWN (as in a down in football), and maybe something else? READY? (as in ready for play). But that's not strong. Maybe "PARAMOUNT" is a clue: Paramount is a mountain or a media company. Could there be a category of "MOUNTAINS"? Only PARAMOUNT means "supreme" but also sounds like "mountain". Not others. Consider words that can be verbs and nouns: many can. Maybe we can look for words that have homophones or sound like other words: - EAVE sounds like "Eve" - CANE sounds like "Kane" - READY sounds like "reddy" (a surname) - GAME sounds like "gaym" - DOWN sounds like "town"? Not. Or words that can be preceded by "sugar": CANE (sugar cane), but not others. Maybe a category like "THINGS FOUND ON A ROOF": EAVE, and what else? DOWN? (downspout), maybe. But others? Perhaps there is a category related to "hurricane": NOAA (tracks hurricanes), CANE (as in hurricane), and maybe DOWN (rain down)? Not four. Another thought: The puzzle might have a theme of "preparations" or "outfitting". EQUIP, OUTFIT, PREPARE, READY (as verb) could be "WAYS TO GET READY". But we already tried READY in a different context. Maybe READY is not in that group; maybe it's with other words. Let's think about common phrases: - "Ready, willing, and able" is a phrase, but that's three words. We included EAGER, which isn't part of that phrase. So maybe the category is "WORDS IN THE PHRASE 'READY, WILLING, AND ABLE'", but that's only three words; they might need a fourth that fits, like "EAGER" doesn't. So maybe the category is something like "ADJECTIVES DESCRIBING A PERSON'S DISPOSITION" but again, we tried that. Maybe the category is "WORDS THAT CAN BE PRECEDED BY 'GET'": GET READY, GET ABLE? Not common. GET WILLING? Not. GET EAGER? No. Perhaps some words are related to "game": GAME, EQUIP (game equipment), OUTFIT (gaming outfit?), not. Let's list all words and see if we can form four groups of four. Since there are 16 words, there should be four categories of four each. We have two incorrect guesses, meaning we haven't found any category yet. We need to find at least one category correctly to reduce the words. Maybe we should look for the most obvious category first. Sometimes the easiest (yellow) category is straightforward. What might be a simple connection? Look at: EQUIP, OUTFIT, PREPARE, READY. All can mean to make ready or provide with necessary items. But READY is more often an adjective, but can be a verb. However, in Connections, they often use words in one part of speech. Maybe the category is "VERBS MEANING TO MAKE READY". That seems plausible. Let's check: EQUIP (to provide with equipment), OUTFIT (to provide with an outfit), PREPARE (to make ready), READY (to make ready). All are verbs. That could be a group. But we have to consider if there is a better fit for READY elsewhere. Maybe READY belongs with ABLE, WILLING, EAGER as "SYNONYMS FOR ENTHUSIASTIC" but ABLE is not synonymous. So maybe READY is better with the verbs. Perhaps the category is "SYNONYMS FOR PREPARE": EQUIP, OUTFIT, PREPARE, READY. That seems solid. Another possible category: "ADJECTIVES MEANING EAGER": WILLING, EAGER, READY, ABLE? Again, ABLE doesn't quite fit. But maybe ABLE goes with something else. Maybe there is a category of "WORDS THAT CAN BE PRECEDED BY 'ABLE-'" no. Consider the word "DOWN". It could be part of a category like "PREPOSITIONS" or "DIRECTIONS", but only DOWN is there; UP isn't. Maybe "DOWN" is part of a phrase "DOWNPOUR" but not. Another idea: "GAME" could be part of "GAME SHOW" but not. Maybe we should consider the possibility that some words are red herrings or belong to more than one category. Let's try to find another group: "PARAMOUNT, SUBARU, NASA, NOAA" all are organizations? But we tried that and it was wrong. Maybe it's "BRANDS" but NASA and NOAA are not brands per se. Maybe it's "ACRONYMS THAT ARE ALSO ORGANIZATIONS" but again, incorrect. Maybe the category is "SPACE-RELATED": NASA (space agency), but also maybe SUBARU (a car named after a star cluster), and others? Not. Wait, SUBARU is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster. So NASA and SUBARU are both space-related? Possibly. But what about NOAA? They do weather and oceans, not space directly. N.F.L. not space. Perhaps "NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., PARAMOUNT" are "U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES"? Only NOAA and NASA are; N.F.L. is not, Paramount is not. So that group didn't work. Maybe there is a category like "WORDS THAT CAN BE TYPES OF STICKS": CANE, and maybe others? Not. Another approach: Look for words that can be combined with "foot" or something: CANE (sugar cane), GAME (football game), DOWN (down marker), N.F.L. That might be a stretch. Maybe the puzzle has a theme of "Super Bowl commercials" because we see SUBARU (car commercials), PARAMOUNT (media company that broadcasts), N.F.L. (league), and maybe something like READY (Ready for some football?) Not sure. Let's think about the word "EAVE". It's a part of a house. Are there other house parts? Maybe "DOWN" as in down comforter? Not. "CANE" as in cane furniture? Possibly. But not clear. Maybe "EAVE" is there for a category like "HOMOPHONES OF EVE": EAVE, and maybe other homophones? For example, "CANE" homophone of "Kane", "GAME" homophone of "gaym"? Not. Perhaps the category is "WORDS THAT CONTAIN 'EA'": READY, EAGER, EAVE, PREPARE? PREPARE has 'ea' but not consecutively. READY, EAGER, EAVE, and maybe? Not consistent. Let's try a different tactic. In Connections puzzles, categories are often things like: "Kinds of something", "Synonyms for something", "Words that can be preceded by a common word", "Words that have double meanings", etc. Maybe we can look for a category like "WORDS THAT CAN BE PRECEDED BY 'RAIN'": RAIN CANE? No, but "rain down" is a phrase, "rain game" isn't, "rain eave" no. "Raincoat" not. Maybe "WORDS THAT CAN BE FOLLOWED BY 'TIME'": GAME TIME, DOWN TIME, maybe READY TIME? Not common. Another idea: "WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH WEATHER": NOAA (weather agency), DOWN (as in downpour), CANE (hurricane), and maybe EAVE (eaves trough for rain). That could be a group: NOAA, DOWN, CANE, EAVE. Let's examine: NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, deals with weather. DOWN can mean "falling" as in rain down. CANE can refer to sugar cane or walking cane, but also hurricane (though hurricane is not just cane). However, "cane" in hurricane comes from the Spanish "huracán", not directly. But in crossword puzzles, "cane" often clues hurricane because of "sugar cane" and hurricanes affecting sugar cane? Possibly. EAVE is part of a roof that handles rainwater. So maybe that's a category: "WEATHER-RELATED TERMS". That seems plausible. If that's one category, then we have other words to group. Then what about the remaining words: EQUIP, GAME, READY, NASA, ABLE, PREPARE, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., WILLING, EAGER, SUBARU, OUTFIT. Now look for another group: Maybe "SYNONYMS FOR PREPARE" as before: EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT, READY. That would be four words. Then we have left: GAME, NASA, ABLE, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., WILLING, EAGER, SUBARU. We already tried a group with WILLING, EAGER, ABLE, READY but READY is taken. So maybe ABLE, WILLING, EAGER, and something else? Maybe "GAME" as in "game to do something" meaning willing? That could be. "Game" can mean willing and eager. So perhaps ABLE, WILLING, EAGER, GAME could be "SYNONYMS FOR ENTHUSIASTIC OR WILLING". That might work: "able" means having the ability, but in context, "able and willing" is a phrase. "Game" can mean willing to try something. So maybe. Then we'd have left: NASA, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., SUBARU. That's the acronyms group we tried and it was wrong. So maybe that's not it, or maybe they form a different category like "COMPANIES/ORGANIZATIONS WITH LOGOS" or "SPONSORS OF THE SUPER BOWL"? But we tried that and it was incorrect. So perhaps our grouping is off. Maybe the fourth category is something like "WORDS THAT CAN BE PRECEDED BY 'SUPER'": SUPER BOWL? Not these words. SUPER GAME? Not common. SUPER NASA? No. Alternatively, maybe NASA, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., SUBARU are "THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN IN SPACE"? NASA obviously, SUBARU is a car brand but not in space, Paramount maybe movies in space? Not. Maybe they are "BRANDS THAT ADVERTISE DURING THE SUPER BOWL": All could. But we already guessed that group and it was wrong. So maybe that group is not a category at all. Perhaps one or more of those words belong to other categories. Let's step back. Maybe our weather group is not correct either. We need to test one category at a time. Given that we have only 2 incorrect guesses left, we need to be careful. We can afford to make two more mistakes, but we want to get at least one correct to eliminate words. Maybe we should try the verbs group: EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT, READY. That seems like a solid guess. I'll go with that next. Confidence: I think this is a reasonable category, likely at least medium difficulty. I'll set confidence at 0.75. </thinking> <guess> EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT, READY </guess> <confidence> 0.75 </confidence>

We have a correct guess! So the words EQUIP, PREPARE, OUTFIT, READY are now removed from the available pool. We are asked for the next guess. Now the remaining words are: GAME, NOAA, CANE, NASA, ABLE, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., DOWN, WILLING, EAGER, SUBARU, EAVE. We have to find another group of four from these 12 words. We have already tried two incorrect groups: READY, ABLE, WILLING, EAGER (which is no longer possible because READY is used) and NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU. So those groups were not correct, but possibly some words from them belong to other categories. We need to identify another category. Let's analyze the remaining words. List: GAME, NOAA, CANE, NASA, ABLE, PARAMOUNT, N.F.L., DOWN, WILLING, EAGER, SUBARU, EAVE. Possible categories: 1. Weather-related: NOAA, CANE (hurricane), DOWN (downpour), EAVE (part of roof dealing with rain). This seems plausible as we considered earlier. We haven't tried this yet. 2. Synonyms for willingness/enthusiasm: ABLE, WILLING, EAGER, and maybe GAME (as in "game for something"). That could be a group: ABLE, WILLING, EAGER, GAME. 3. Acronyms/organizations: NOAA, NASA, N.F.L., SUBARU we already tried and it was incorrect. So maybe that exact grouping is not a category. Perhaps they are split. Maybe NOAA and NASA are government agencies, while N.F.L. and SUBARU are something else. 4. Other: PARAMOUNT might be part of a category like "MOUNTAIN-RELATED" but only one word. 5. Words that can be verbs: many can, but not a clear group. 6. Maybe "DOWN" is part of a category like "FOOTBALL TERMS" with GAME and N.F.L., but need a fourth. Possibly "ABLE" as in able-bodied? Not. 7. "EAVE" is architectural. Maybe with CANE (as in cane furniture?) and others? Not. Given that we have two likely groups from above: weather and willingness. Which one to try next? We have two incorrect guesses remaining, so we can try one. Let's consider the willingness group: ABLE, WILLING, EAGER, GAME. "Game" can mean willing to participate. For example, "I'm game for that." So these four all describe a person's positive disposition towards doing something. That seems like a reasonable category, maybe "SYNONYMS FOR ENTHUSIASTIC" or "WILLING TO PARTICIPATE". I'll go with that. Confidence: 0.8 But first, we should double-check if any of these words might belong to other more obvious groups. The weather group also seems plausible. However, we have only one guess left after this if it's incorrect. But we have two incorrect guesses remaining, so we can afford one mistake after this if needed. I'll try the willingness group. </thinking> <guess> ABLE, WILLING, EAGER, GAME </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> NOAA, CANE, DOWN, EAVE </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

<guess> SWIPE, TAP, SCROLL, PINCH </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

Okay, the user said "CORRECT. NEXT GUESS?" after my first guess of SWIPE, TAP, SCROLL, PINCH. That means those four words were correctly grouped as a category, probably something like "Smartphone gestures" or "Touchscreen actions." Now I need to look at the remaining words and find another group of four. The available words now are: PINCH (used), EEK, CHILL, BAR, BOOTH, QUASH, HIVE, COUNTER, ALE, LOAF, SWIPE (used), TAP (used), LOUNGE, SCROLL (used), VEG, TABLE. Wait, I should remove the used ones. Actually, the user didn't list the remaining words explicitly, but based on the initial list and the correct guess, the remaining words are: EEK, CHILL, BAR, BOOTH, QUASH, HIVE, COUNTER, ALE, LOAF, LOUNGE, VEG, TABLE. Now I need to find another category among these. Let me look for connections. I see several words that could be related to furniture or places in a bar or restaurant: BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, LOUNGE, TABLE. That's five words, so maybe a subset of four? Also, ALE is a drink, LOAF could be bread, VEG could be vegetables, so food/drink items. EEK is an exclamation, CHILL could be to relax or cold, QUASH means to suppress, HIVE is a bee structure. Maybe the furniture group: BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE. But LOUNGE is also similar. Perhaps BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, LOUNGE are all types of seating or areas in a pub? Or maybe BAR, COUNTER, TABLE, BOOTH are furniture in a dining setting. Let me think. Alternatively, there might be a category related to beer or pubs: ALE (type of beer), BAR (where beer is served), LOUNGE (where you might drink), but that doesn't fit four words. Another idea: words that can be verbs? QUASH, CHILL, LOAF, VEG? But VEG as a verb means to relax, similar to CHILL? LOAF can mean to idle, QUASH is to suppress, but EEK doesn't fit. Hmm, perhaps "Things in a pub": BAR, ALE, COUNTER, LOUNGE? But BOOTH and TABLE could also be in a pub. Maybe "Synonyms for suppress": QUASH, CHILL? Not really. Wait, I recall that in Connections puzzles, sometimes words have multiple meanings. For example, BAR could be a place, a rod, or a measure in music. COUNTER could be a surface, a person who counts, or to oppose. HIVE could be a bee structure or a busy place. Let me list possible categories: 1. Pub-related: BAR, ALE, COUNTER, LOUNGE? But COUNTER might not be specifically pub, and LOUNGE is more general. 2. Furniture: TABLE, BOOTH, COUNTER, BAR? BAR could be furniture, but also a place. BOOTH is furniture, COUNTER is furniture, TABLE is furniture. That seems solid. But then what about LOUNGE? Maybe it's not furniture. 3. Food/drink: ALE, LOAF, VEG, and maybe BAR? But BAR isn't food. 4. Sounds: EEK, and maybe others? Not sure. Another thought: words that can be verbs and nouns? Many can, but not a clear category. Perhaps "Bee-related": HIVE, but others? Not really. Maybe "Words with double letters": EEK has double E? No, it's E twice but not consecutive? Actually, EEK has two E's, but not double letters like in "LOAF" which has no double letters. CHILL has double L, but others don't. Let me think about common Connections categories. Often there are categories like: types of something, synonyms, homophones, etc. Looking at the words, I see BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE could be "Types of seating or furniture in a restaurant". That seems plausible. But LOUNGE is also furniture, so maybe the category is "Places to sit" or something. Maybe the category is "Words that can be preceded by 'salad'": BAR? Salad bar. BOOTH? Not really. COUNTER? Salad counter? Not common. TABLE? Salad table? No. VEG? Salad veg, but that's not a phrase. Alternatively, ALE, LOAF, VEG might be "British slang" or something? Not sure. Perhaps "Words that can be verbs": CHILL, QUASH, LOAF, VEG? But VEG as a verb means to relax, like "vegging out". LOAF can mean to idle. CHILL can mean to relax. QUASH means to suppress. So they are all verbs meaning to relax or suppress? Not exactly. Wait, maybe "Informal terms for relaxing": CHILL, LOAF, VEG, and maybe LOUNGE? But LOUNGE is a noun or verb meaning to relax. That could be a group: CHILL, LOAF, VEG, LOUNGE. All can mean to relax or spend time idly. Let's check: - CHILL: to relax. - LOAF: to idle or lounge around. - VEG: short for vegetate, meaning to relax or do nothing. - LOUNGE: to recline or relax. That seems like a good category! And the other words might fit elsewhere. So my second guess could be: CHILL, LOAF, VEG, LOUNGE. Then remaining words: EEK, BAR, BOOTH, QUASH, HIVE, COUNTER, ALE, TABLE. Now, among those, I see BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE could be "Furniture in a diner or restaurant". That might be another category. Or ALE, BAR, COUNTER, TABLE? Not sure. Another possibility: EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE? Doesn't seem connected. Maybe "Words that can be preceded by 'bee'": HIVE, but not others. Perhaps "Exclamations": EEK, and maybe others? Not. Let's consider the furniture group: BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE. That leaves EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE. What could those be? Maybe "Words that can be verbs": QUASH, HIVE? HIVE as a verb means to gather, but not common. ALE is not a verb. EEK is an exclamation. Alternatively, maybe the category for EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE is something else. Perhaps "Words with four letters"? EEK (3), QUASH (5), HIVE (4), ALE (3). No. Maybe "Words related to sounds": EEK is a sound, QUASH might sound like squash, but not really. I think the relaxing category is strong. So I'll go with that for my next guess. Confidence: I'm fairly confident, but not 100%, maybe 0.8. </thinking> <guess> CHILL, LOAF, VEG, LOUNGE </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

Okay, the user responded with "CORRECT. NEXT GUESS?" after my second guess of CHILL, LOAF, VEG, LOUNGE. That means those four words were correctly grouped, likely as "Ways to relax" or "Informal terms for relaxing." Now I need to look at the remaining words to find another group of four. From the initial list, the words used so far are: SWIPE, TAP, SCROLL, PINCH (first guess) and CHILL, LOAF, VEG, LOUNGE (second guess). So the remaining words are: EEK, BAR, BOOTH, QUASH, HIVE, COUNTER, ALE, TABLE. I need to identify a common category among these eight words. Let me list them for clarity: EEK, BAR, BOOTH, QUASH, HIVE, COUNTER, ALE, TABLE. I can see a few potential connections. First, BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, and TABLE could be types of furniture or seating in a restaurant or bar. That seems like a plausible category. But I have eight words left, so if I take four for furniture, the remaining four would be EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE. What could those be? Let me consider other possibilities. Perhaps there's a category related to bees or insects? HIVE is clearly bee-related, but EEK, QUASH, ALE don't fit that. Maybe sounds or exclamations? EEK is an exclamation, but others aren't. Another thought: some words might have verb meanings. QUASH means to suppress, HIVE can mean to gather or store, but ALE is a noun, and EEK is an interjection. Not consistent. Perhaps ALE is related to BAR? As in, ale is served at a bar. But that might not be a strong category. Let me think about common Connections categories. Sometimes words can be grouped by phrases or compound words. For example, "salad bar," "salad bowl," but not here. Or "beehive," but that's just one word. Wait, maybe some words are associated with law or legal terms? QUASH could mean to quash a subpoena, BAR could be the legal profession, COUNTER could be counter-sue, TABLE could be to table a motion. But EEK, HIVE, ALE, BOOTH don't fit that. Alternatively, BAR, COUNTER, TABLE, and maybe BOOTH could be related to surfaces or furniture. That still seems the most straightforward. But let's check the remaining four if I take the furniture group: EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE. Is there a connection there? Perhaps they are all short words? EEK (3 letters), QUASH (5), HIVE (4), ALE (3) – not consistent. Maybe they can all be verbs? EEK is not a verb, ALE is not a verb. Perhaps HIVE and ALE are related to bees? Ale doesn't relate to bees. Hive and ale might be associated with old traditions? Not sure. Maybe EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE are all words that can be preceded by "s"? Seek, squash, shive, sale? That seems forced. Another idea: perhaps the groups are different. Let me consider all eight words together. Maybe BAR, ALE, COUNTER, TABLE are related to pubs or drinking? BAR where ale is served, COUNTER where you order, TABLE where you sit. But BOOTH is also in a pub, and HIVE might not fit. Wait, maybe HIVE is part of a different group. Could HIVE be with other words related to insects? No. Perhaps EEK is part of a group of exclamations, but the others aren't exclamations. I recall that in Connections, sometimes words have multiple meanings. For example, BAR can also mean a rod or a measure in music, COUNTER can mean to oppose, TABLE can mean to postpone, QUASH means to suppress, HIVE can mean a busy place. Maybe there's a category of words that mean to suppress or oppose: QUASH, COUNTER, TABLE? But TABLE means to postpone, which is similar to suppressing? And maybe BAR as in to bar someone? That could work. BAR can mean to prohibit, COUNTER means to oppose, QUASH means to suppress, TABLE can mean to set aside or postpone. So all could be verbs meaning to block or oppose. But what about HIVE, EEK, ALE, BOOTH? Not sure. If that's the case, then the group might be QUASH, COUNTER, TABLE, BAR. But I need to check: BAR as a verb means to prohibit or prevent, yes. COUNTER as a verb means to oppose or retaliate. QUASH means to suppress or extinguish. TABLE as a verb means to postpone or set aside. So they all involve stopping or opposing something. That could be a category: "Words meaning to stop or oppose." Then the remaining words would be EEK, BOOTH, HIVE, ALE. What could they have in common? Perhaps they are all nouns? But so are the others. Maybe they are related to sounds or expressions? EEK is a sound, HIVE might buzz, ALE is silent, BOOTH is not a sound. Maybe EEK, BOOTH, HIVE, ALE are all four-letter words? EEK has 3, BOOTH has 5, HIVE has 4, ALE has 3. No. Perhaps they are words that can be combined with "house"? Alehouse, boothouse? No, boothouse isn't a word. Hive house? Not. Maybe they are places? BOOTH is a place, HIVE is a place for bees, ALE is not a place, EEK is not. Another thought: maybe the furniture group is BOOTH, TABLE, COUNTER, BAR? But if I use BAR in the verb group, then furniture might be BOOTH, TABLE, COUNTER, and something else. But HIVE, ALE, EEK don't fit furniture. So perhaps the verb group is QUASH, COUNTER, TABLE, BAR, and the furniture group is BOOTH, HIVE, ALE, EEK? That doesn't work. Let's think about the context of the puzzle. The first group was smartphone gestures, the second was ways to relax. So the remaining two groups might be categories like furniture and something else, or verbs and something else. I should look for another connection among EEK, BOOTH, HIVE, ALE. Maybe they are all words that can be preceded by "photo" or something? Photo booth, but not others. Wait, perhaps HIVE and ALE are related to bees? Mead is made from honey, but ale is beer, not directly. Not sure. Maybe EEK is part of a group of onomatopoeia? But others aren't. Another idea: perhaps BOOTH, TABLE, COUNTER, BAR are all types of furniture, and the last group is EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE which might be "Words with silent letters" or something? EEK has no silent letters, QUASH has no, HIVE has silent E? Not really. Let's consider the possibility that the furniture group is indeed BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE. That leaves EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE. What could those be? Maybe they are all words that can be used as verbs? As I thought earlier, but EEK is not typically a verb, and ALE is a noun. However, "ale" can be verbed in slang? Unlikely. Perhaps they are all words that can be associated with fear? EEK is an expression of fear, QUASH can mean to suppress fear, HIVE can be a hive of activity but not fear, ALE not. I recall that in some puzzles, "EEK" might be grouped with other exclamations like "OH" or "AH," but here there are no others. Maybe HIVE is part of a group with other bee-related words, but there's only one. Let's list all words again and see if I missed a category. Remaining: EEK, BAR, BOOTH, QUASH, HIVE, COUNTER, ALE, TABLE. Perhaps there is a category of words that are also units of measurement? BAR is a unit of pressure, TABLE is not a unit, COUNTER is not, HIVE is not. Maybe "Words that can be followed by 'room'": BAR room? Not really. BOOTH room? No. COUNTER room? No. TABLE room? Not. Another thought: in the context of a pub or bar, you might have ALE, BAR, COUNTER, TABLE. But BOOTH is also in a bar, so that could be five words. Perhaps the category is "Things in a bar": ALE, BAR, COUNTER, TABLE. And then the last group is EEK, BOOTH, QUASH, HIVE. That seems messy. I think I need to make a decision. Since the puzzle typically has four groups of four, and I have two groups correct, I need to guess the third group. I'll consider the furniture group as a strong possibility. So my next guess could be BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE. But let's see if there's a better fit. What about BAR, COUNTER, TABLE, and HIVE? No. Maybe QUASH, HIVE, EEK, ALE are all short words? Not really. Another idea: perhaps the group is related to "surfaces": BAR (counter surface), BOOTH (seating surface), COUNTER (surface), TABLE (surface). That works. So I'll go with that for my third guess. Confidence: I'm moderately confident, say 0.7. </thinking> <guess> BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

Okay, the user responded with "CORRECT. NEXT GUESS?" after my third guess of BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE. That means those four words were correctly grouped, likely as "Types of furniture" or "Surfaces" or something similar. Now I need to look at the remaining words to find the last group. From the initial list, the words used so far are: SWIPE, TAP, SCROLL, PINCH (first guess); CHILL, LOAF, VEG, LOUNGE (second guess); BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE (third guess). So the remaining words are: EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE. I need to identify a common category among these four words: EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE. Let me think about possible connections. First, I should consider each word's meanings and see if they share a theme. - EEK: an exclamation of surprise or fear. - QUASH: to suppress or extinguish; to put an end to. - HIVE: a structure where bees live; also can mean a busy place. - ALE: a type of beer. At first glance, they seem unrelated. But in Connections puzzles, there's often a clever link. Maybe they can all be associated with sounds or actions? EEK is a sound, QUASH might sound like "squash," but not sure. Perhaps they are all words that can be verbs? Let's check: - EEK: not typically a verb; it's an interjection. - QUASH: is a verb. - HIVE: can be a verb (e.g., to hive bees). - ALE: is a noun, not a verb. So that doesn't work. Maybe they are all related to fear or suppression? EEK is fear, QUASH is suppression, HIVE might be associated with anxiety (like "hive of activity"), but ALE doesn't fit. Another thought: perhaps they are all short words? EEK (3 letters), QUASH (5), HIVE (4), ALE (3) – not consistent in length. Maybe they can be combined with other words to form common phrases? For example, "ale house," but that's two words. Wait, I recall that in some puzzles, categories might involve wordplay, like homophones or synonyms. Let's think about synonyms or related terms. Perhaps they are all associated with bees? HIVE is directly bee-related. ALE might be connected through mead, but ale is beer, not mead. EEK and QUASH don't fit. Maybe they are all words that can be preceded by "b"? "Beek" isn't a word, "bquash" no, "bhive" no, "bale" yes, but bale is different. Another idea: perhaps they are all words that can be types of something. For example, ale is a type of beer, hive is a type of structure, but eek and quash aren't types. I should consider the possibility that the category is "Words that can mean to suppress or express surprise?" That seems forced. Let's look at the words in context of the previous categories. The first was smartphone gestures, the second was ways to relax, the third was furniture. So the fourth might be something different, like sounds or actions. Maybe EEK is an onomatopoeia, and the others? QUASH might sound like a crushing sound, HIVE might buzz, ALE doesn't make sound. Perhaps they are all words that can be used in legal contexts? QUASH can be legal (quash a subpoena), HIVE might not be, ALE not, EEK not. Wait, I remember that in Connections, sometimes words have multiple meanings that can be grouped. For example, "bar" could be legal or furniture, but we already used it. Let's think about each word's less common meanings: - EEK: primarily an interjection. - QUASH: to suppress. - HIVE: also can mean a rash or skin condition (like hives). - ALE: beer. If HIVE can mean a skin condition, then maybe all are related to health or reactions? EEK might be a reaction to something, QUASH might be to suppress symptoms, HIVE is a condition, ALE might cause hives? That seems tenuous. Perhaps they are all words that can be associated with anxiety? EEK from fear, QUASH anxiety, HIVE as in "hive of nerves," ALE might calm anxiety? Not consistent. Another idea: maybe they are all four-letter words? But EEK and ALE are three letters, QUASH is five, HIVE is four. No. Perhaps they are all words that can be verbs in imperative mood? Like "Quash that rumor!" "Hive the bees!" "Ale up!" doesn't work. I think I need to consider that the category might be "Exclamations and actions" but that's vague. Let me search my memory for common Connections categories. Sometimes there are categories like "Sounds made by mice" where EEK might fit, but others don't. Wait, maybe EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE are all words that can be found in comic books? EEK is a sound effect, QUASH might be used, HIVE might be a villain, ALE might be in dialogues. Not sure. Perhaps they are all words that can be preceded by "s" to form new words? Seek, squash, shive, sale. That could be a link: each can have an added S to make a new word. But is that a category? Possibly "Words that become new words with an added S"? Let's check: - EEK + S = EEKS, which is a word (plural of eek? not really, but "eeks" is an exclamation). - QUASH + S = QUASHS, not a standard word. - HIVE + S = HIVES, which is a word (plural of hive or the skin condition). - ALE + S = ALES, which is a word (plural of ale). So only HIVE and ALE work, not all. Maybe they are all words that can be types of beer? Ale is beer, but hive isn't, eek isn't, quash isn't. I recall that in some puzzles, "hive" and "ale" might be related through bees and mead, but ale is not mead. Another thought: perhaps the category is "Words that can mean to reduce or eliminate"? QUASH fits, but HIVE doesn't, EEK doesn't, ALE doesn't. I'm running out of ideas. Let's think about the puzzle's theme. The first group was tech-related, second was relaxing, third was furniture. So the fourth might be something like food/drink, but only ALE fits that. Maybe the fourth group is "Words associated with pubs" but we already used BAR, COUNTER, TABLE in furniture. ALE fits, but EEK, QUASH, HIVE don't. Perhaps the remaining four are all words that can be verbs, but as noted, not consistently. Wait, I just realized something: in the context of the puzzle, "QUASH" might be grouped with words meaning to suppress, but we need four. What about "HIVE" as in to store away? Not sure. Let's consider that "EEK" might be part of a group of exclamations, but there are no other exclamations. Maybe the category is "Words that can be followed by 'out'": EEK out (like eek out a living), QUASH out (not really), HIVE out (not), ALE out (not). Another idea: perhaps they are all words that can be associated with pressure? EEK from fear, QUASH to suppress pressure, HIVE as in busy pressure, ALE to relieve pressure? Not. I think I need to make a guess based on the most plausible category I can think of. Perhaps the category is "Words that can be nouns and verbs"? But ALE is only a noun. Let's list the parts of speech: - EEK: interjection - QUASH: verb - HIVE: noun and verb - ALE: noun So not all are verbs. Maybe they are all short words? But QUASH is longer. Perhaps they are all words that contain the letter 'E'? Yes, all do: EEK has E, QUASH has E? QUASH has U, A, S, H – no E? Wait, QUASH does not have the letter E. Q-U-A-S-H: no E. So not all. EEK has E, HIVE has E, ALE has E, but QUASH has no E. So that's not it. Maybe they are all words that can be found in a kitchen? ALE might be, but HIVE? Not typically. I recall that in one Connections puzzle, there was a category like "Things that can be tapped" but we already had TAP in the first group. Given the time, I'll go with a guess. Perhaps the category is "Words that can mean to make a sound" but only EEK fits. Another thought: maybe they are all words that can be associated with games or entertainment? EEK in comics, QUASH in games (like quash a rebellion), HIVE in games (Hive board game), ALE in pubs for games. That might be a stretch. I think I need to accept that I might not see the connection, but since I have only one guess left (this is the fourth guess, and I have three correct so far), I can afford to be wrong once. But actually, I have made three correct guesses, so I have three guesses left? The rules say at most 6 total guesses, with 4 mistakes allowed. I've used 3 guesses, all correct, so I have 3 guesses left. But if this guess is incorrect, I'll have one more chance after that. But I want to be as accurate as possible. Let me think about the word "HIVE" more. HIVE can be a verb meaning to store away, like to hive something up. QUASH means to suppress. EEK might be related to squeak? ALE is different. Perhaps the category is "Words that can be associated with farming or agriculture"? HIVE for bees, ALE from grains, but EEK and QUASH don't fit. Wait, I have an idea: maybe all four words can be associated with reactions or responses. EEK is a reaction of surprise, QUASH is a response to something (to suppress it), HIVE can be a reaction on skin, and ALE might be a response to thirst? Not great. I recall that in some puzzles, "EEK" and "QUASH" might be grouped with other words that are exclamations or commands, but HIVE and ALE don't fit. Let's try a different approach. Perhaps the category is "Words that can be used in the phrase '___ and ___'?" Not sure. I think I should look up possible categories online, but since I'm an AI, I should rely on my knowledge. However, I remember that in NYT Connections, there is often a category like "Palindromes" or "Homophones," but these words aren't palindromes. Maybe they are all words that can be typed with the left hand on a keyboard? Not likely. Another idea: perhaps they are all words that can be found in the dictionary under specific letters, but that's vague. I think I'll guess based on a hunch that the category might be "Words that can be verbs in the imperative mood" but as before, not all work. Let me consider that "ALE" might be part of a category like "Types of drinks" but there's only one drink. Perhaps the category is "Words that contain consecutive vowels"? EEK has EE, QUASH has U and A but not consecutive, HIVE has I and E not consecutive, ALE has A and E not consecutive. No. Maybe they are all words that can be preceded by "honey"? Honey hive, honey ale? Not really. I'm stuck. Let's make a guess and see what happens. I'll guess that the category is something like "Words associated with noise" but only EEK is noisy. Wait, I just thought: in the context of the puzzle, perhaps "QUASH" and "HIVE" are related to legal terms as before, but with "ALE" and "EEK"? No. Another possibility: maybe the category is "Words that can be used in Scrabble with high points"? But that depends. I recall that in one puzzle, "EEK" was grouped with other onomatopoeic words. But here, "QUASH" might be onomatopoeic? Not really. Perhaps the category is "Words that can mean to compress or contract"? QUASH can mean to crush, HIVE can mean to store tightly, but EEK and ALE don't. I think I need to accept that I might not get it right, but I'll try to reason from the process of elimination. Since the other groups are clear, this last group might be a bit more abstract. Let me check if there's a category like "Words that can be followed by 'up'": hive up, ale up? Not standard. Maybe they are all words that can be associated with medieval times? ALE, HIVE (for mead), EEK (exclamation), QUASH (to suppress rebellions). That might be a stretch. I'll go with a guess that the category is "Words that can be verbs" even though not all are commonly used as verbs. Perhaps in creative usage, "ale" can be verbed meaning to drink ale, and "eek" might be used as a verb meaning to say "eek". But that's not standard. Given that I have three correct guesses, I can afford to be wrong. So I'll make a guess and see the response. I'll choose the four words as they are. </thinking> <guess> EEK, QUASH, HIVE, ALE </guess> <confidence> 0.5 </confidence>

<guess> BACKDOOR, VIRUS, WORM, TROJAN HORSE </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> ORBIT, EXTRA, ICE BREAKERS, TRIDENT </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> AEGIS, GUARD, PROTECTION, SHIELD </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> BUFFALO, FLEUR-DE-LIS, HORSESHOE, LIGHTNING BOLT </guess> <confidence> 1.0 </confidence>

<guess> CARPET, TILE, LAMINATE, WOOD </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> COAST, SHORE, BANK, STRAND </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

The user is playing NYT Connections and has made two correct guesses. The remaining words are: CHEMISTRY, BANSHEE, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, PIP, WAILER, FIREWORKS, CONNECTION. We need to find a group of four that belong to the same category. Let's examine these words: - CHEMISTRY: can refer to science or interpersonal attraction. - BANSHEE: a female spirit in Irish folklore who wails. - SPARK: a small fiery particle; can also mean ignite or a trace. - HEARTBREAKER: someone who causes heartbreak. - PIP: a small seed in fruit; or a short high-pitched sound; or related to ranks in some contexts (like in cards or military). - WAILER: one who wails; could refer to a mourner or a singer with a wailing style. - FIREWORKS: pyrotechnics; also can mean outbursts of emotion or excitement. - CONNECTION: a link or relationship. We need to think of possible categories. Perhaps some words relate to sound or vocal expressions? BANSHEE and WAILER both involve wailing. HEARTBREAKER might fit if we think of emotional outbursts, but not directly sound. SPARK and FIREWORKS could be related to pyrotechnics or excitement. CHEMISTRY and CONNECTION might relate to relationships. Alternatively, consider categories like "Things that explode or ignite"? SPARK, FIREWORKS, maybe CHEMISTRY (chemical reactions), but not sure about others. Maybe there is a category related to "cries" or "loud expressions": BANSHEE, WAILER, and perhaps HEARTBREAKER (as in someone causing tears), but HEARTBREAKER isn't a sound. Alternatively, BANSHEE and WAILER could be "ones who wail," and maybe PIP? Pip as a sound? Pip can mean a short high-pitched sound, like a beep. So BANSHEE, WAILER, PIP, and maybe something else? What about FIREWORKS? Not directly. Another idea: words that can be preceded by "lady" or something? BANSHEE is sometimes "banshee," HEARTBREAKER might be "heartbreaker," but not consistent. Let's think about common Connections categories. Sometimes they have categories like "___ works" where words combine with "works" to form compounds: FIREWORKS is one, but what about other works? CHEMISTRY doesn't combine; SPARK doesn't; etc. Maybe words that can be types of something: In cards, PIP is a symbol on a playing card. SPARK might be a type of energy. Not clear. Perhaps there is a group related to "relationships" or "romance": CHEMISTRY (as in attraction), HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION, and maybe SPARK (as in a spark of romance)? That could be a category: "Things in a relationship" or "Romantic terms." CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION all relate to romantic interactions. That seems plausible. Then the remaining words would be BANSHEE, PIP, WAILER, FIREWORKS. Do those form a group? BANSHEE and WAILER are both wailers, PIP might be a sound, FIREWORKS could be loud and explosive, so maybe "Things that make noise" or "Loud things." That might work. Alternatively, BANSHEE, WAILER, FIREWORKS, and SPARK? But SPARK is already used in the romance group potentially. Let's test the romance group: CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION. That seems like a solid category: "Elements of a relationship" or "Romantic concepts." Confidence is high. Now the other group of four from the remaining words: BANSHEE, PIP, WAILER, FIREWORKS. What do these have in common? BANSHEE and WAILER are both entities that wail or make loud cries. PIP can mean a short high-pitched sound, like a beep. FIREWORKS make loud bangs and whistles. So they could all be "Things that make loud sounds" or "Noisemakers." That might be a category. Alternatively, consider that PIP might also refer to something small, but that doesn't fit. Another possibility: In some contexts, "banshee" and "wailer" are synonyms, but "pip" and "fireworks" aren't. Could there be a category related to Irish folklore? BANSHEE is Irish, but others aren't. Maybe the category is "Words that can be preceded by 'party'"? Party popper? Not really. Let's prioritize the romance group as the next guess since it's more clear-cut. After that, the remaining four would automatically be the last category if correct. But we need to guess one group at a time. So I'll guess the romance group. Confidence: 0.8 </thinking> <guess> CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

The user made an incorrect guess with "CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION". The available words now are: CHEMISTRY, BANSHEE, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, PIP, WAILER, FIREWORKS, CONNECTION. The previous correct groups were flooring types (CARPET, TILE, LAMINATE, WOOD) and water edges (COAST, SHORE, BANK, STRAND). So the remaining two groups are among these eight words. The incorrect guess suggests that CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION are not a valid group. So we need to reconsider the categories. We have two groups left. Let's list the words again: 1. CHEMISTRY 2. BANSHEE 3. SPARK 4. HEARTBREAKER 5. PIP 6. WAILER 7. FIREWORKS 8. CONNECTION We need to find two sets of four that are related. Let's brainstorm possible categories: - Words that can be preceded by "love" or relate to romance? HEARTBREAKER fits, CHEMISTRY (love chemistry), but CONNECTION (love connection)? SPARK (spark of love)? But that guess was incorrect, so maybe not all of them, or perhaps the category is something else. - Perhaps one group is "things that make sounds" or "noisemakers": BANSHEE (wails), WAILER (wails), PIP (a short high-pitched sound), FIREWORKS (explosive sounds). That seems plausible. That would be BANSHEE, WAILER, PIP, FIREWORKS. Then the remaining words are CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION. But that group was just guessed and marked incorrect. So maybe that's not the other group. Unless the category for the remaining four is different. Maybe the sound group includes SPARK? Spark doesn't typically make a sound; it's visual. So BANSHEE, WAILER, PIP, FIREWORKS seems more sound-oriented. What about CHEMISTRY, SPARK, FIREWORKS, CONNECTION? That might relate to "things that involve reactions" or "science"? CHEMISTRY and SPARK (ignition), FIREWORKS (chemical reaction), CONNECTION (electrical connection?) Not sure. Another idea: words that can be types of "works": CHEMISTRY doesn't fit; FIREWORKS is one; but others like "field works" no. Consider: PIP, SPARK, CONNECTION, CHEMISTRY? Could be related to "small things" but no. Maybe one category is "mythical creatures or beings": BANSHEE is mythical; WAILER might be a term for a mourner, not mythical; HEARTBREAKER is a person; not consistent. Perhaps "words that can be preceded by 'heart'": HEARTBREAKER has heart; but others: heart chemistry? heart spark? heart connection? Not standard. Let's think of common Connections categories. Sometimes they have categories like "___ works" where the blank is a word that combines with "works" to form a compound. For example, "fireworks" but also "chemistry" doesn't combine; "fieldworks" no. Maybe "words that can be followed by 'works'": fireworks, chemistry works? Not really. Another thought: Could there be a category related to "cards" or "games"? PIP is a term in cards (the symbols on suits); SPARK? Not really; HEARTBREAKER? No. Maybe "synonyms for cry"?: BANSHEE and WAILER are related to wailing; but PIP? Fireworks? Let's list possible relationships: - BANSHEE and WAILER are clearly related: both refer to entities that wail. - PIP and SPARK: both can be small things; pip is a small seed, spark is a small particle of fire. - FIREWORKS and SPARK: both related to fire/explosions. - CHEMISTRY and SPARK: chemistry can involve sparks. - CONNECTION and CHEMISTRY: can be metaphorical. Maybe one group is "things associated with fire": SPARK, FIREWORKS, and maybe CHEMISTRY (chemical fire), but what else? BANSHEE? No. What about "words that can mean a small amount": SPARK (a tiny bit), PIP (a small seed), but others not. Another approach: Look at words that have multiple meanings. PIP can mean a small seed, a sound, or a mark on a playing card. SPARK can be a small fiery particle, or to ignite. FIREWORKS are explosive displays. CHEMISTRY is a science or attraction. CONNECTION is a link. HEARTBREAKER is a person who breaks hearts. BANSHEE is a spirit. WAILER is one who wails. Perhaps one category is "loud noises" or "things that wail": BANSHEE, WAILER, FIREWORKS (loud), and maybe PIP (as in a sound)? That seems possible. What about the other group? If we take BANSHEE, WAILER, FIREWORKS, and PIP as a sound-related group, then the remaining are CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION. That group was incorrect. So maybe the sound group is different: maybe it's BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, and something else? HEARTBREAKER could be associated with wailing if someone cries? But that's a stretch. Maybe the groups are: Group 1: Words that can be preceded by "party": Party popper? Not really. Group 2: Words that can be types of "cries": BANSHEE, WAILER, and maybe PIP (as in peep), and FIREWORKS (rockets make sounds)? But FIREWORKS isn't a cry. Let's search for a different pairing. Perhaps CHEMISTRY, SPARK, FIREWORKS, and PIP? That could be "things that can be pyrotechnic or chemical"? Not sure. Wait, maybe one category is "synonyms for strand" but that's already used. Another idea: In Connections, sometimes categories are based on words that can be combined with another word to form a common phrase. For example, "chemistry set", "spark plug", "heartbreaker" is a word itself, "connection fee". Not consistent. Maybe "words that can be verbs": SPARK (to spark), CONNECTION (not typically), CHEMISTRY (no), HEARTBREAKER (no), BANSHEE (no), WAILER (no), PIP (to pip means to beat narrowly), FIREWORKS (can be a verb meaning to explode with emotion). So not all verbs. Let's consider the possibility that the sound group is correct: BANSHEE, WAILER, PIP, FIREWORKS. But then the other group (CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION) was wrong. Maybe the other group is actually CHEMISTRY, SPARK, FIREWORKS, and something else? But we already have FIREWORKS in the sound group potentially. Maybe the groups are: - BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, ? (all could be considered "mourners" or "ones who cause sorrow")? HEARTBREAKER causes heartbreak, BANSHEE wails in mourning, WAILER is one who wails in mourning. That's three. What about PIP? Not related. Maybe CONNECTION? No. - SPARK, FIREWORKS, CHEMISTRY, CONNECTION? Could be "things that involve reactions": chemical reaction, spark triggers reaction, fireworks are reaction, connection might be electrical connection leading to spark? Stretching. Maybe the categories are: 1. Things that make noise: BANSHEE, WAILER, FIREWORKS, PIP (as a sound). 2. Romantic terms: CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION (but this was guessed and said incorrect). However, the game said "INCORRECT" but didn't specify if it was because the category is wrong or if the grouping is wrong. It could be that those four words do belong together but the category name is different? In Connections, a guess is correct if they are all in the same category regardless of the name. So if they were all in a valid category, it would be correct. Since it's incorrect, they are not all in the same category. So at least one of those words belongs to a different category. Therefore, we need to recombine. Let's try to find another grouping that includes some of those words. Maybe CHEMISTRY, SPARK, FIREWORKS, and PIP? PIP could be a seed, but maybe they are all "things that can be found in a lab"? Spark from a Bunsen burner, fireworks not really, chemistry yes, pip as in pipette? Pipette is a lab tool, and "pip" could be short for pipette? That's possible. In a lab context, "pip" might refer to a pipette. CHEMISTRY is the science, SPARK could be from equipment, FIREWORKS not typically in a lab. Not convincing. Alternatively, maybe PIP is part of a fruit, and other words relate to nature? No. Let's look at the words again and think of any common themes that are typical in Connections puzzles. Some categories I've seen: types of flooring (done), water borders (done), things that cry, things that explode, relationship terms, etc. Maybe one category is "things that can be heard" and another is "things that can be felt" (emotions)? For example, HEARTBREAKER causes emotional pain, CHEMISTRY can be felt as attraction, SPARK can be a feeling, CONNECTION can be emotional. That sounds like the previous guess but maybe the category is "things you can feel" and that is valid? But the game said incorrect, so no. Unless one of those words is actually part of the other group. Let's list the words and try to pair them differently. Maybe: Group A: BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, and ? (maybe FIREWORKS? but not related) Group B: CHEMISTRY, SPARK, PIP, CONNECTION? (all can relate to electricity? Chemistry not really, spark yes, pip no, connection yes.) Another idea: "words that can be preceded by 'scream'": scream chemistry? no. Maybe "words that can be types of reactions": CHEMISTRY (chemical reaction), FIREWORKS (explosive reaction), SPARK (can cause reaction), CONNECTION (nerve connection? reaction time?). Let's search online memory: I recall a Connections puzzle that had categories like "Flooring", "Water Borders", "Things that Wail", and "Romantic Terms". But my guess for romantic terms was incorrect. Maybe it's "Things that can be on a card" or something. Wait, PIP is definitely a term in playing cards. Are there other card-related words? HEARTBREAKER has "heart" which is a suit, but heartbreaker isn't a card term. SPARK? No. CONNECTION? No. BANSHEE? No. WAILER? No. FIREWORKS? No. CHEMISTRY? No. So that's not it. Maybe PIP is also a rank in the military (like on a uniform). Any other military words? No. Another thought: PIP, SPARK, FIREWORKS, and maybe CHEMISTRY could be "things that produce light". Spark produces light, fireworks produce light, chemistry can produce light (chemiluminescence), pip? Not really. Let's consider that BANSHEE and WAILER are almost certainly together. They are too similar. So we need two more words to go with them. What words could complete a category of "things that howl or wail"? Maybe FIREWORKS because they whistle and howl? Or HEARTBREAKER because people wail when heartbroken? That could work: BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, and maybe FIREWORKS? But FIREWORKS don't wail, they bang and sizzle. Alternatively, PIP could be a sound of a small cry, like a chick's pip. Maybe the category is "things that make high-pitched sounds": BANSHEE (wail is high-pitched), WAILER (same), PIP (short high sound), FIREWORKS (whistles are high-pitched). That seems reasonable. Then the remaining words: CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION. What do they have in common? They all can relate to relationships or interactions between people. CHEMISTRY (interpersonal attraction), SPARK (romantic spark), HEARTBREAKER (one who breaks hearts), CONNECTION (emotional bond). That seems like a very strong category. Why was it marked incorrect? Possibly because one of these words is actually part of the other category? For example, maybe HEARTBREAKER is not in that group, but instead, HEARTBREAKER is part of the sound group? That seems unlikely. Unless the categories are different. Let's consider that maybe the sound group includes HEARTBREAKER instead of something else. For instance, BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, and PIP? HEARTBREAKER could be associated with wailing if the person who is heartbroken wails. But that's indirect. Maybe the categories are: - Things that can be verbs: SPARK, CONNECTION (connect), PIP (to pip), and maybe FIREWORKS (to firework? not really). Not good. Another idea: Could there be a category of "words that can be preceded by 'electric'"? Electric spark, electric connection, electric chemistry? Not really, electric fireworks? No. Let's think about the word "pip" more. Pip can mean a disease in birds, or a seed, or a mark on a die. In some contexts, "pip" is also used in phrase "pip to the post" meaning to beat narrowly. Not helpful. Maybe one category is "words that can be associated with 'break'": HEARTBREAKER (break hearts), PIP? No, SPARK? break a spark? No. Let's look at the words and see if they can form common phrases with a single word. For example: - CHEMISTRY set, SPARK plug, HEARTBREAKER (standalone), CONNECTION fee. Not the same. - BANSHEE scream, WAILER cry, PIP squeak, FIREWORKS display. Not consistent. Given that we have limited incorrect guesses left (3 remaining), we need to be careful. Let's try to see if there's another grouping that includes some of the words we haven't paired with BANSHEE and WAILER. Suppose the sound group is BANSHEE, WAILER, FIREWORKS, and SPARK? Spark doesn't make sound necessarily. But a spark can make a crackling sound. Possibly. Maybe the other group is CHEMISTRY, PIP, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION. What could that be? Unlikely. Let's search my memory for common Connections puzzles. I've seen a category like "Things that Wail" with BANSHEE, WAILER, and sometimes SIREN, etc. Here we have FIREWORKS and PIP as possibilities. I think BANSHEE and WAILER are almost certainly together. So I'll assume they are in a group with two others. Let's test BANSHEE, WAILER, PIP, FIREWORKS as a guess. If that is correct, then the remaining four should be a valid group. But the remaining four would be CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION, which was already guessed and incorrect. So that can't be right unless the game's validation is different? No, if that group were correct, then the previous guess would have been correct because it would have been the other group. So that suggests that BANSHEE, WAILER, PIP, FIREWORKS is not a group either, or at least not the correct grouping. Maybe BANSHEE and WAILER are in a group with two other words that are not PIP and FIREWORKS. What about HEARTBREAKER and CONNECTION? That doesn't make sense. Perhaps BANSHEE and WAILER are not together? That seems unlikely given their meanings. Let's list all possible pairs that are strongly related: - BANSHEE and WAILER: both wailers. - COAST and SHORE: already used. - BANK and STRAND: already used. - CARPET and TILE: already used. - LAMINATE and WOOD: already used. - SPARK and FIREWORKS: both involve fire/explosions. - CHEMISTRY and SPARK: spark can be chemical. - HEARTBREAKER and CONNECTION: both relationship terms. Maybe the groups are: Group 3: BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION? That seems odd. Group 4: CHEMISTRY, SPARK, PIP, FIREWORKS? What's the connection? Possibly "things that can be measured in units"? Chemistry in moles, spark? No. Another thought: PIP can be a short high-pitched sound, SPARK can be a brief flash, FIREWORKS are displays, CHEMISTRY is a science. Not clear. Maybe one category is "words that can be preceded by 'love'": love chemistry, love spark, love connection, love heartbreaker? Not all standard. Given the time, I'll try a different approach: Let's guess BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, and FIREWORKS. That might be "things that can cause a loud reaction" or something. But I'm not confident. Alternatively, maybe the correct group is CHEMISTRY, SPARK, FIREWORKS, and PIP, with the category being "things that can be explosive" or "things that involve chemical reactions". PIP might be a stretch. Let's look at the word "connection". Could it be related to "spark" as in spark a connection? So maybe CHEMISTRY, SPARK, CONNECTION, and HEARTBREAKER are indeed together, but the game said incorrect. So perhaps one of them is actually in the other group. What if HEARTBREAKER is not with them? Then maybe HEARTBREAKER is with BANSHEE and WAILER? That would be three, need a fourth. What about PIP? That would be BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, PIP. Category: "Things that can make you cry" or "Things associated with sorrow". BANSHEE wails in mourning, WAILER is one who wails, HEARTBREAKER causes sorrow, PIP? Pip can be a sound of a chick, which might be associated with crying? Not strong. Maybe PIP is not in that group. What about FIREWORKS? Fireworks can bring joy, not sorrow. Let's consider that maybe the groups are: 1. Flooring: done. 2. Water edges: done. 3. Things that howl: BANSHEE, WAILER, FIREWORKS, and maybe SPARK? (spark doesn't howl) 4. Relationship terms: CHEMISTRY, HEARTBREAKER, CONNECTION, and PIP? (pip as in "pip of love"? no) I'm stuck. Maybe I should guess the sound group with BANSHEE, WAILER, PIP, FIREWORKS and see what happens. Since we have 3 incorrect guesses left, we can afford to test one. But if it's wrong, we lose one guess and get feedback, which might help. However, the game will tell us "INCORRECT" and then we'll have the remaining words. But we might also get a clue if some are correct? Actually, in Connections, when you guess four words, if they are not all from the same category, it says incorrect, and you lose a guess, but it doesn't tell you which ones are correct or not. However, if you guess a group that has three correct and one wrong, it still says incorrect. So we need to be careful. Alternatively, we can try to deduce by thinking of categories that are more definitive. Let's search online memory: I recall a Connections puzzle from NYT that had categories like "Flooring", "Water Borders", "Things that Wail", and "Romantic Terms". I think my initial romantic terms guess should be correct. But it was marked incorrect. Maybe the puzzle is different, or I misremembered. Wait, maybe the romantic terms group is CHEMISTRY, SPARK, HEARTBREAKER, and something else. What if CONNECTION is not part of it? What if instead, CONNECTION is part of a different group? For example, maybe CONNECTION goes with PIP, SPARK, and FIREWORKS as "things that can be electrical"? Electrical connection, electrical spark, electrical pip? No, pip isn't electrical. Electrical fireworks? Not really. Maybe CONNECTION goes with CHEMISTRY, SPARK, and FIREWORKS as "things that can cause a reaction". That could be a category: "Things that trigger a reaction". CHEMISTRY (chemical reaction), SPARK (ignites reaction), FIREWORKS (pyrotechnic reaction), CONNECTION (neural connection triggers reaction). That might work. Then the remaining words are BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, PIP. That could be "things that wail or cry": BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER (causes crying), PIP (sound of a cry). That seems plausible. So let's try that: Guess CHEMISTRY, SPARK, FIREWORKS, CONNECTION as "reaction triggers". Confidence not super high but better. If that is correct, then the last group would be BANSHEE, WAILER, HEARTBREAKER, PIP. I'll go with that. </thinking> <guess> CHEMISTRY, SPARK, FIREWORKS, CONNECTION </guess> <confidence> 0.6 </confidence>

<guess> BANSHEE, HEARTBREAKER, PIP, WAILER </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> RUBBISH, BALONEY, BUNK, BULL </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> RAISE, HIKE, JACK, CRANK </guess> <confidence> 0.8 </confidence>

<guess> ARCHER, HUNT, FISH, WALK </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

<guess> FISH, HUNT, NAP, WALK </guess> <confidence> 0.5 </confidence>

Hmm, the user says two incorrect guesses remaining, but I only see two guesses made so far: the correct ones and then one incorrect. Let me double-check. Actually, the user said "3 INCORRECT GUESSES REMAINING" after my first incorrect, and now says "2 INCORRECT GUESSES REMAINING" after my second incorrect. So that's consistent. I've made two incorrect guesses total (ARCHER, HUNT, FISH, WALK and FISH, HUNT, NAP, WALK). Now I have 8 words left: POWERS, FISH, HUNT, PEEL, TAIL, NAP, ARCHER, WALK. Wait, the last incorrect guess included FISH, HUNT, NAP, WALK, so if that's incorrect, those words are still available. So the full list is still POWERS, FISH, HUNT, PEEL, TAIL, NAP, ARCHER, WALK. I need to reconsider the categories. Looking at the words, I see a possible group: POWERS, PEEL, TAIL, WALK could all be verbs that can be followed by "off" to form phrasal verbs: powers off, peel off, tail off, walk off. That's a strong connection. Meanwhile, FISH, HUNT, NAP, ARCHER might be related to activities or people who do them, though ARCHER is a person while the others are activities. But maybe ARCHER, HUNT, FISH, and something else? No, NAP doesn't fit. Alternatively, maybe NAP, FISH, HUNT, and something else? Let's check other possibilities. Maybe the group is FISH, HUNT, NAP, and something else as things you can do. But I tried that and it was wrong. Possibly the group is ARCHER, FISH, HUNT, and TAIL? Tail as in to follow? Not sure. Given the phrasal verb connection seems solid, I'll go with POWERS, PEEL, TAIL, WALK as one group. That leaves FISH, HUNT, NAP, ARCHER. For those, maybe they're all things that can be "taken" or "done"? Fish can be taken, hunt can be done, nap can be taken, archer... not really. Or perhaps they're all associated with bows? Archer uses a bow, hunt might involve a bow, fish? Not really. Hmm. Maybe FISH, HUNT, NAP, and ARCHER are all words that can be combined with "bow": fishbowl? No. Bowhunt? Yes, bowhunt is a thing. Bowfishing? Yes, that's a thing. Bow nap? No. Bow archer? Redundant. Not that. Alternatively, maybe the last group is FISH, HUNT, ARCHER, and something else as "things with arrows"? Fish have fins, not arrows. Given the time, I think the phrasal verb group is my best bet. I'll guess that. </thinking> <guess> POWERS, PEEL, TAIL, WALK </guess> <confidence>0.7</confidence>

The user reports another incorrect guess, leaving only one incorrect guess allowed before the game ends. Currently, three guesses have been made, with two correct and three incorrect? Let's count: first guess (nonsense group) correct, second guess (increase group) correct, third guess (archer, hunt, fish, walk) incorrect, fourth guess (fish, hunt, nap, walk) incorrect, and now fifth guess (powers, peel, tail, walk) incorrect. That's three incorrect guesses so far, leaving one more allowed. The available words are: from the original list, we removed RUBBISH, BALONEY, BUNK, BULL (first correct group), then RAISE, HIKE, JACK, CRANK (second correct group). The incorrect guesses didn't remove words because they were wrong. So the remaining words are: POWERS, FISH, HUNT, PEEL, TAIL, NAP, ARCHER, WALK. That's 8 words. But we have made three incorrect guesses on groupings from these 8, so we need to find the correct two groups of four. We have 8 words left and must find two categories. I need to reconsider carefully. Let me list the words and think of possible connections: - POWERS: could be a verb (to power) or noun (superpowers). - FISH: noun or verb. - HUNT: noun or verb. - PEEL: noun or verb. - TAIL: noun or verb. - NAP: noun or verb. - ARCHER: noun (person). - WALK: noun or verb. I need to group four into a category and the other four into another. Possible categories: 1. Words that can be preceded by "cat": catfish, catnap, catwalk, cat... hunt? No, cathunt isn't a word. cat archer? No. cat tail? Yes, cat tail is a phrase but not a compound word. cat powers? No. cat peel? No. So maybe catfish, catnap, catwalk, and cattail? Cattail is a plant. That could be a category: words that combine with "cat" to form new words. Let's check: catfish, catnap, catwalk, cattail. Yes, all are valid compound words. But is "cattail" commonly written as one word? It can be "cat's tail" or "cattail" as a plant. Often it's written as one word for the plant. But also, "cat hunt" isn't a thing. So that could be a group: FISH, NAP, WALK, TAIL. That leaves POWERS, HUNT, PEEL, ARCHER. What category could those be? Maybe they can be preceded by "apple": apple peel, apple archer? No. Or "bow": bowhunt, bow archer? But bow powers? No. Or "horse": horse power? Powers is plural. Horsepower is one word. But "horse hunt"? Not really. Hmm. Alternatively, maybe the group is verbs that can be done with your eyes closed? Not sure. Another idea: words that can be types of something. For example, TAIL, PEEL, POWERS, ARCHER? Not clear. Maybe the categories are based on homophones or something else. Let's think about the "cat" group. It's a common Connections puzzle theme: words that can follow "cat". I've seen puzzles with catfish, catnap, catwalk, and cattail. That seems plausible. If that's correct, then the remaining words: POWERS, HUNT, PEEL, ARCHER. What could connect these? Perhaps they can all be preceded by "horse"? Horsepower (powers), horse hunt? Not really. Horse archer? That is a thing (mounted archer). Horse peel? No. Or "bow": bowhunt, bow archer, bow powers? No. Maybe "tree": tree bark? Not here. Maybe they are all things that can be "drawn": draw a bow (archer uses a bow), draw a hunt? No. Draw a peel? No. Another possibility: maybe the other group is related to archery: ARCHER, HUNT, and then something else? But POWERS and PEEL don't fit. Wait, maybe the groups are different. Perhaps one group is verbs that can be done while camping or outdoors: FISH, HUNT, WALK, NAP? But I already tried FISH, HUNT, NAP, WALK and it was incorrect. So that's not it. Maybe the groups are based on adding a letter to make a new word? For example, add S to make plurals? Not helpful. Let's consider the possibility that "TAIL" is not in the cat group because it might be part of another group. Perhaps there is a group related to body parts: TAIL, NAP (as in nap of the neck?), ARCHER? No. Maybe there's a group related to removing something: PEEL, HUNT (as in hunt down?), POWERS (strip powers?), TAIL (tail off)? Not clear. Given that I have only one guess left, I need to be very careful. Actually, I have one incorrect guess remaining, meaning I can make one more guess that could be incorrect, but if it's incorrect, the game ends. But I can still make a correct guess and then have another guess for the last group? Wait, the rules: "You have at most 6 total guesses (4 mistakes allowed)." So total guesses allowed is 6. I've made 5 guesses so far (2 correct, 3 incorrect). So I have one guess left total? Or do I have one incorrect guess allowed, meaning I can make another guess that could be incorrect, and if it's incorrect, that's 4 mistakes and game over? Actually, "4 mistakes allowed" means you can make up to 4 incorrect guesses. I've made 3 incorrect, so I can make one more incorrect guess before reaching the limit of 4. But also, the total guesses allowed is 6, so if I make a guess (my 6th), that's my last guess regardless of whether it's correct or incorrect. If it's correct, I might still have another group to guess? Actually, after a correct guess, I get to guess again, but that would be guess number 7, which exceeds the total allowed of 6. So I think the total guesses limit means you cannot exceed 6 guesses total. Since I've made 5 guesses, I have exactly one guess left. If that guess is correct, I still need to guess the remaining group, but that would require another guess, which would be guess 7, not allowed. Wait, but the game typically continues until all groups are found or you run out of guesses. So if I correctly guess one group now, that would be my 6th guess, and then the game would end because no more guesses are allowed, but there would still be one group left unguessed, so I would lose. Therefore, I need to guess both remaining groups in my final guess? That's not possible because each guess is only four words. I can only guess one category at a time. So if I guess one category correctly now, I won't have a chance to guess the other. Therefore, I must guess the correct group on my next guess, and then the game will end with one group remaining, which means I lose. Unless the game allows you to win by guessing all groups within the guess limit. Since I have two groups left, I would need two correct guesses to win. But I only have one guess left. So I cannot win; the best I can do is guess one more group correctly and then the game ends with one group unguessed. However, perhaps the game might consider that if I guess correctly, I get an extra guess? But the rules say "at most 6 total guesses", so I think after 6 guesses, the game ends. So I'm in a tough spot. But maybe I miscounted guesses. Let's recount: 1. Guess: RUBBISH, BALONEY, BUNK, BULL -> correct 2. Guess: RAISE, HIKE, JACK, CRANK -> correct 3. Guess: ARCHER, HUNT, FISH, WALK -> incorrect 4. Guess: FISH, HUNT, NAP, WALK -> incorrect 5. Guess: POWERS, PEEL, TAIL, WALK -> incorrect That's 5 guesses. I have one guess left (the 6th). If I guess correctly, I have no more guesses left to guess the last group. So I cannot win. However, perhaps the game allows you to continue guessing if you have guesses remaining, and correct guesses don't count against the total? The rules say "You have at most 6 total guesses (4 mistakes allowed)." That implies total guesses, regardless of correctness. So each guess, correct or incorrect, counts as a guess. So after 6 guesses, you stop. So with one guess left, I can only guess one more group. But wait, maybe the game ends when all groups are found, even if you haven't used all guesses. So if I guess the third group correctly on my 6th guess, there is still a fourth group, so the game wouldn't end because not all groups are found. So I would need to guess the fourth group, but I have no guesses left, so I lose. So indeed, I cannot win from here. However, maybe I can guess the fourth group instead of the third? That would be unconventional because I haven't identified the third group. But if I guess the fourth group correctly, then the third group would be automatically revealed? Possibly. But in Connections, you guess one category at a time, and after a correct guess, those words are removed. So if I guess the fourth group correctly, the remaining words would be the third group, and the game would end with that group not guessed, so I still lose. Therefore, I cannot win. But for the sake of playing, I'll try to guess one of the groups correctly. Given the "cat" group seems promising, I'll go with FISH, NAP, WALK, TAIL as words that can follow "cat" to form compound words. This leaves POWERS, HUNT, PEEL, ARCHER. I'm not sure what that group is, but maybe it's something like "things associated with Robin Hood" or something. Not sure. Alternatively, maybe the other group is POWERS, PEEL, HUNT, ARCHER? No. Given the time, I'll guess the cat group. Confidence low because I'm not entirely sure. </thinking> <guess> FISH, NAP, WALK, TAIL </guess> <confidence>0.6</confidence>

The user said "CORRECT. NEXT GUESS?" which indicates my last guess (FISH, NAP, WALK, TAIL) was correct. Now I have one more group to guess from the remaining four words: POWERS, HUNT, PEEL, ARCHER. I need to find the common category for these four. Let me think about possible connections: - POWERS: could refer to abilities, or to increase power, or to electrical power. - HUNT: to search for or pursue. - PEEL: to remove the outer layer, like from fruit. - ARCHER: a person who shoots with a bow and arrow. These seem unrelated at first glance. But maybe they are all verbs or can be associated with actions. However, "archer" is a noun. Perhaps they can all be associated with "bow"? For example, an archer uses a bow; you can bow hunt (hunt with a bow); bow powers? Not really; bow peel? No. Maybe they are all things that can be "drawn": you can draw a bow (archer draws a bow), draw a hunt? Not really. Draw powers? No. Perhaps they are all words that can be preceded by "horse": horsepower (powers), horse hunt? Not common, horse archer? Yes, horse archer is a thing, horse peel? No. Maybe they are all related to superheroes or characters: Green Arrow (archer), Power Rangers (powers), Huntress (hunt), and Orange Peel? No. Another idea: they might be words that can be combined with "man" to form a compound or phrase: power man (like Power Man, a superhero), hunt man? Huntsman, yes! Huntsman is a word. Peel man? Not really. Archer man? Not common. Wait, "huntsman" is a word meaning a hunter, especially one who hunts with hounds. That relates to HUNT. "Bowman" is another word for archer. But "bowman" comes from bow, not archer directly. "Power man" is not standard, but there is "Powerman" as a nickname. "Peel man" isn't a thing. Perhaps they are all words that can be followed by "er" to form a noun? Powers -> powerer? Not standard. Hunt -> hunter, peel -> peeler, archer -> archerer? No. Maybe they are all associated with Robin Hood: Robin Hood is an archer, he hunts, he might have powers? Not really, and peel doesn't fit. Let's think about the possibility that these words are all verbs that can be done with a tool or instrument. For example, you hunt with a bow, you peel with a peeler, you power something with electricity, and an archer uses a bow. Not consistent. Perhaps they are all words that can be used in the context of "taking aim" or "targeting": archer aims, hunt aims, power aims? No. Another thought: maybe they are all types of jobs or roles: archer is a job, hunter is a job, power plant operator? Not directly, peeler could be a kitchen job. But powers isn't a job. I recall that in some Connections puzzles, there might be a category like "Things that can be drawn" or "Things with strings". For archer, a bow has a string. For hunt, you might use a bowstring. For peel, a string? Not really. For powers, no. Wait, maybe they are all associated with "pull": you pull a bowstring (archer), you pull a trigger in hunting (hunt), you pull a peel (like peeling a banana), you pull a power switch? That seems weak. Let's consider if these words can be combined with "back": power back (like power back in football), hunt back? No, peel back (yes, peel back the layers), archer back? No. Maybe they are all words that can be preceded by "steam": steam power, steam hunt? No, steam peel (like steam peeling vegetables), steam archer? No. Given the previous groups were about synonyms for nonsense, words meaning increase, and words that combine with "cat", this last group might be something like "words that can follow 'horse'". Horsepower, horse archer (a type of cavalry), horse hunt (like fox hunting on horseback), and horse peel? Not really. But "horsepower" is a common term, and "horse archer" is historical. "Horse hunt" could be a thing, but "horse peel" doesn't work. Perhaps they are all words that can be preceded by "bow": bowhunt, bowman (archer), bow power? No, bow peel? No. Maybe the category is "words that can be types of exercise": power lifting, hunting as an activity, archery as a sport, peeling? Not exercise. Another idea: maybe they are all words that can be associated with "arrow": archer shoots arrows, hunt with arrows, power arrow? No, peel arrow? No. Let's look for homophones or wordplay. Powers sounds like "flowers"? No. Perhaps they are all words that can be verbs meaning to remove or eliminate: power down, hunt down, peel off, archer? Not a verb. I'm stuck. Let's think about the game's theme. The puzzle might have a theme around compound words or phrases. For the cat group, we had words that follow "cat". Maybe this group is words that follow something else. For example, "horse" as mentioned. Or "man": huntsman, bowman (archer), powerman, peelman? Not all work. Maybe they follow "green": green power, green hunt? Not common, green archer? No, green peel? Like green peel of a fruit. Or "fire": firepower, fire hunt? No, fire archer? No, fire peel? No. What about "water": water power, water hunt? No. Perhaps they are all words that can be preceded by "over": overpower, overhunt, overpeel? Not common, overarcher? No. Given the time, I need to make a guess. I'll consider that perhaps the category is "words that can be associated with a bow and arrow". Archer uses a bow, hunt can be done with a bow (bowhunting), power can be in the sense of drawing a bow (power of the bow), and peel might be a term in archery? I recall that "peel" can mean to strip something, but not specifically archery. Wait, maybe "peel" is a term in bell ringing? Not sure. Another thought: in some contexts, "peel" can mean to turn, like a car peeling out. But that doesn't fit. Let's search my memory for common Connections categories. I've seen a category like "Things you can do to an apple": you can peel it, you can hunt for apples? No, you can power an apple? No. Maybe they are all things that can be "raised": raise powers, raise a hunt, raise a peel? No, raise an archer? Not really. I recall that in the original list, there was "CRANK" and "JACK" which were in the increase group. So maybe the last group is something like "words that can mean to move quickly" or something. Given that I have to make a guess, I'll try to find a plausible connection. Perhaps they are all words that can be used with "off": power off, hunt off (like send off to hunt), peel off, archer off? No. Maybe they are all nouns that can become verbs: power (to power something), hunt (to hunt), peel (to peel), archer (to archer? Not a verb). That's not a strong category. Another idea: perhaps they are all associated with medieval times: archer is medieval, hunt is medieval, power (like lord's power), peel (a peel tower is a type of fortified tower in the Scottish borders). Yes! A peel tower is a historical fortified structure. That might be the connection. So POWERS could refer to the powers of a lord, HUNT is a medieval activity, ARCHER is a medieval warrior, and PEEL is a peel tower. That seems obscure but possible. I'm not entirely convinced, but it's a connection. Let's check: "peel" as in a fortified tower is spelled "peel" or "pele"? Actually, it's often "peel tower" or "pele tower". Both spellings are used. So it could work. If that's the case, the category might be "Medieval things". That could be a Connections category. Alternatively, maybe they are all words that can be types of towers: power tower, hunt tower? No, peel tower, archer tower? Like a tower for archers. I think I'll go with that. It's my only guess left anyway. Confidence low. </thinking> <guess> POWERS, HUNT, PEEL, ARCHER </guess> <confidence>0.4</confidence>

<guess> TINSEL, CANDY CANE, STRING LIGHTS, ANGEL </guess> <confidence> 0.9 </confidence>

<guess> PHOTOSHOP, AIRBRUSH, TOUCH UP, FIX </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> PAMPLEMOUSSE, HONEYCOMB, VINAIGRETTE, CORNICHON </guess> <confidence> 0.85 </confidence>

We have 3 incorrect guesses remaining. The last guess was incorrect, so we need to reconsider the categories. Remaining words: PAMPLEMOUSSE, HONEYCOMB, ORGANISM, SOLAR PANEL, VINAIGRETTE, PAIN, CORNICHON, SPREADSHEET. We need to find a group of four that belong together. Let's analyze the words more carefully: - PAMPLEMOUSSE: French for grapefruit, a fruit. - HONEYCOMB: structure made by bees, also a food. - ORGANISM: a living being. - SOLAR PANEL: device that converts sunlight to electricity. - VINAIGRETTE: salad dressing. - PAIN: French for bread, or English for discomfort. - CORNICHON: French for small pickled cucumber. - SPREADSHEET: software application for data organization. Potential categories: 1. French words? PAMPLEMOUSSE (grapefruit), VINAIGRETTE (French origin), PAIN (bread in French), CORNICHON (French). That's four words of French origin that are also food items. But note: HONEYCOMB is not French, and SPREADSHEET is not French. So maybe "French words for food items"? But PAIN could also mean discomfort in English, but in the context of food, it's French bread. The puzzle might use the French meaning. Similarly, PAMPLEMOUSSE is clearly French. VINAIGRETTE is from French. CORNICHON is French. So that could be a category: "French words" or "French terms". But PAIN is also a common English word, so it might be tricky. 2. Food items: PAMPLEMOUSSE, HONEYCOMB, VINAIGRETTE, CORNICHON were guessed and were incorrect. So maybe that's not the right grouping. Perhaps the food group includes PAIN (bread) instead of something else. But the incorrect guess had four food items, so maybe the correct category is something else. 3. Possibly a category related to "things with cells"? HONEYCOMB (has cells), SPREADSHEET (has cells), ORGANISM (composed of cells), SOLAR PANEL? Not sure. 4. Maybe "things that are panels or sheets"? SOLAR PANEL, SPREADSHEET (sheet), HONEYCOMB (has hexagonal panels?), VINAIGRETTE? No. 5. Another idea: "Words that can be verbs or nouns"? Many words can, but not all. 6. Possibly "things that are sweet"? HONEYCOMB (sweet), PAMPLEMOUSSE (grapefruit can be sweet-sour), VINAIGRETTE (not sweet), CORNICHON (sour). 7. Maybe the category is "French loanwords" or specifically "French words used in English". PAMPLEMOUSSE, VINAIGRETTE, CORNICHON, and PAIN (as in French bread) are all French words used in English culinary contexts. That seems plausible. The previous incorrect guess had HONEYCOMB instead of PAIN. So maybe the correct group is PAMPLEMOUSSE, VINAIGRETTE, CORNICHON, and PAIN. Let's test that hypothesis. If that's the case, then the remaining words would be: HONEYCOMB, ORGANISM, SOLAR PANEL, SPREADSHEET. What category could those four be? - HONEYCOMB: a structure of hexagonal cells. - ORGANISM: a living entity composed of cells. - SOLAR PANEL: converts sunlight to electricity, often made of photovoltaic cells. - SPREADSHEET: organized into cells. That's interesting: all four have something to do with "cells"! Honeycomb has cells (hexagonal), organism is made of biological cells, solar panel has photovoltaic cells, spreadsheet has cells (in a grid). That seems like a clever category: "Things with cells". That might be the actual group for the remaining four. So if that's the case, then the French food words group would be PAMPLEMOUSSE, VINAIGRETTE, CORNICHON, PAIN. But we already guessed PAMPLEMOUSSE, HONEYCOMB, VINAIGRETTE, CORNICHON and it was incorrect. So maybe the correct French group is indeed those four but with PAIN instead of HONEYCOMB. Alternatively, maybe the French group is not correct, and the cells group is one of the categories. We have to make a guess. Since we have 3 incorrect guesses remaining, we can try one. I think the cells group is promising. Let's try that as our next guess. If that's correct, then the remaining four would be the French words. But note: the game might have categories that are not necessarily the ones I think. Alternatively, maybe the categories are: Christmas decorations, photo editing, French words, and things with cells. That would make sense. So I'll try the "cells" group: HONEYCOMB, ORGANISM, SOLAR PANEL, SPREADSHEET. But note: PAIN is left out of that, and if the cells group is correct, then PAIN would be in the French group. But is PAIN considered a French word? In English, "pain" means suffering, but it's also the French word for bread. However, in English, we usually say "French bread" or "baguette", not simply "pain". But in culinary contexts, "pain" might be used. It's possible. Let's look at the list: PAMPLEMOUSSE is definitely French. VINAIGRETTE is from French. CORNICHON is French. PAIN is French for bread. So that seems plausible. Alternatively, maybe the French group is something else, like "French cuisine terms". I'll try the cells group first, as it seems more unique and interesting. Confidence: moderate. So my guess: HONEYCOMB, ORGANISM, SOLAR PANEL, SPREADSHEET. </thinking> <guess> HONEYCOMB, ORGANISM, SOLAR PANEL, SPREADSHEET </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

<guess> PAMPLEMOUSSE, VINAIGRETTE, PAIN, CORNICHON </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> ARIEL, TIANA, AURORA, MERIDA </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> IMPACT, VERDANA, ARIAL, GEORGIA </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> ROUNDOFF, SPLIT, ARABESQUE, AERIAL </guess> <confidence> 0.90 </confidence>

<guess> VOLUMETRIC, LINEAR, ANGULAR, AREAL </guess> <confidence> 0.95 </confidence>

<guess> TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, SHAME </guess> <confidence> 0.6 </confidence>

<guess> AKEEM, DOLITTLE, KONG, DONKEY </guess> <confidence> 0.7 </confidence>

The user provided an update that my guess was incorrect, leaving 2 incorrect guesses remaining. I need to reassess the available words and find a different connection. The available words are: BAD, TSK, ZIP, CAKE, FOLEY, AKEEM, DOLITTLE, FLY, DONKEY, RACE, SHAME, TUT TUT, COBRA, BARREL, KONG, TUT. Note that TSK, TUT, and TUT TUT are still present, as are SHAME, BAD, etc. My previous attempts at categories like disapproval sounds and movie characters failed, so I need to think differently. Let's look for other patterns. Possibly categories related to words that can be preceded by a common word? For example, "race" could be part of "barrel race" or "cake race" but that doesn't fit. "Fly" might go with "zip" as verbs? Not sure. Consider words that are also sounds: TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, ZIP? ZIP could be a sound of something moving fast. But SHAME and BAD don't fit sounds. Maybe there's a category of words that are also titles or names: Dr. Doolittle, King Kong, etc. But I already tried that. What about words that can be combined with "donkey" to form phrases? "Donkey Kong" is a video game character, but KONG is separate. Actually, "Donkey Kong" is a specific character, so maybe DONKEY and KONG go together? But they are two separate words here, so likely not intended as a pair. Another thought: "Foley" is a term for sound effects in film. That might connect to sounds? TSK, TUT, TUT TUT are sounds of disapproval. ZIP could be a sound. But FOLEY is a profession/technique, not a sound itself. Maybe there's a category of words that are also commands to animals? "Bad", "Shame", "Tsk" (to scold), "Fly" (to a dog?), not consistent. Let's list possible categories: 1. Expressions of disapproval: TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, SHAME, BAD. That's five words, so maybe only four are correct. But my first guess with SHAME was wrong, so perhaps SHAME is not in that group, or BAD is instead. Could try TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, BAD? But BAD is an adjective, not an interjection. 2. Movie characters: AKEEM, DOLITTLE, KONG, DONKEY. That didn't work, so maybe some are not in that category. Perhaps DOLITTLE and KONG are characters, but AKEEM and DONKEY are not? Or maybe it's "characters played by Eddie Murphy"? AKEEM is Eddie Murphy, DOLITTLE is Eddie Murphy (in the 1998 film), but DONKEY is voiced by Eddie Murphy, and... KONG is not Eddie Murphy. So that might not be it. 3. Words that can follow "monkey": BARREL (monkey barrel), FLY (monkey fly?), COBRA (monkey cobra?), not likely. 4. Words associated with "donkey": KONG (Donkey Kong), RACE (donkey race), BARREL (donkey barrel?), but that seems weak. 5. Onomatopoeia: ZIP (sound of zipping), TSK, TUT, TUT TUT. That's four. But is ZIP considered onomatopoeia? Possibly. Also, FLY could be a sound? No. 6. Words that are also verbs: FLY, ZIP, RACE, CAKE? (cake as verb? to cake on makeup), BAD (not a verb), SHAME (verb), etc. Not clear. Given that I have limited guesses left, I should try a more systematic approach. Perhaps the category is "Things that can be said to scold someone": BAD, SHAME, TSK, TUT. But TUT TUT is similar. Maybe the category is "Interjections": TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, ZIP? ZIP as in "zip it" meaning be quiet? But that's a phrase. Another idea: All words can be preceded by "sound of": sound of TSK, sound of TUT, sound of ZIP, sound of FLY? Not really. I recall that in Connections puzzles, sometimes categories are based on common phrases or compound words. For example, "barrel" might go with "monkey" but we don't have monkey. "Cobra" might go with "king" but we have KONG, not king. "King Kong" is a phrase, but KONG alone. Maybe there's a category of words that are also brands or games: Donkey Kong is a game, but we have DONKEY and KONG separate. Could be a trick. Perhaps the category is "Words that can be combined with 'cake'": CAKE RACE? Not common. Let's think about pop culture: Akeem is from Coming to America, Doolittle is from Dr. Doolittle, Kong is from King Kong, Donkey is from Shrek, Foley is a sound technique, Cobra is a movie or snake, Barrel is a thing, Fly is a thing, Race is a thing, Shame is a thing, Bad is a thing. Maybe there are multiple categories. Since my two guesses were wrong, I need to consider other groupings. One possibility: "Sounds made with the mouth": TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, ZIP (as in the sound of lips zipped), but ZIP is more of a sound effect. Foley is also sound-related. Maybe the category is "Words that are also noises in comics": ZIP (for moving fast), TSK (for disapproval), etc. Alternatively, consider "Words that can be preceded by 'don't'": DON'T BAD, DON'T TSK, not really. Given the limited information, I might try the onomatopoeia group: TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, ZIP. I'll test that. Confidence: moderate, but uncertain. </thinking> <guess> TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, ZIP </guess> <confidence> 0.5</confidence>

We have 1 incorrect guess remaining (meaning 5 guesses total, we've used 3 incorrect ones, so next incorrect ends the game). Need to be careful. Available words: BAD, TSK, ZIP, CAKE, FOLEY, AKEEM, DOLITTLE, FLY, DONKEY, RACE, SHAME, TUT TUT, COBRA, BARREL, KONG, TUT. We've tried: 1. TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, SHAME (incorrect) 2. AKEEM, DOLITTLE, KONG, DONKEY (incorrect) 3. TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, ZIP (incorrect) So those groupings are not correct. We need to find a set of four that are connected. Let's step back and think of possible categories. Connections puzzles often have four groups of four. Since we haven't successfully guessed any yet, all words are still available. There are 16 words, so there should be four categories of four each. We need to identify one category and guess it correctly. Look at the words: Some are clearly related to movies or characters: AKEEM, DOLITTLE, KONG, DONKEY, FOLEY (Foley artist?), COBRA (maybe Cobra Kai or movie?), FLY (maybe "The Fly"?), RACE (maybe "Race" the movie?), CAKE (maybe "Cake" the movie?), BARREL (maybe "Barrel" from movies?). But maybe not all are characters. Let's think of other connections. Notice TSK, TUT, TUT TUT are all clicking sounds or expressions of disapproval. But we tried including SHAME and ZIP, and both didn't work. Perhaps the fourth is something else? BAD? But BAD is also an expression of disapproval. Maybe the category is "Words that can be used to scold a pet": BAD, SHAME, TSK, TUT? But TUT TUT is similar. Perhaps the category is "Interjections": TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and maybe AHEM? Not available. Or "Tsk-tsk" etc. Maybe it's "Sounds" and includes ZIP and FOLEY? Foley is sound effects, not a sound itself. Another idea: "Words that can be preceded by 'monkey'": MONKEY BARS? No barrel? Monkey barrel? Monkey race? Monkey cake? Not likely. "Donkey" might combine with Kong to make Donkey Kong, but we have DONKEY and KONG as separate words. Perhaps there's a category of "Video Game Characters": DONKEY KONG is one, but we have them separate. Could be a red herring. Maybe there's a category of "Eddie Murphy characters": AKEEM (Coming to America), DOLITTLE (Dr. Dolittle), DONKEY (Shrek, voiced by Eddie Murphy), and maybe another? FOLEY? There's a movie "The Distinguished Gentleman" with Murphy as Thomas Jefferson Johnson, not Foley. Or maybe "Axel Foley" from Beverly Hills Cop? That's a character named Foley! Yes, Axel Foley is Eddie Murphy's character in Beverly Hills Cop. So AKEEM, DOLITTLE, DONKEY, and FOLEY could all be Eddie Murphy characters. That seems promising. Let's check: Akeem is from Coming to America, Dr. Dolittle is from Dr. Dolittle (played by Murphy), Donkey from Shrek (voiced by Murphy), and Foley from Beverly Hills Cop (played by Murphy). That's four. And we haven't tried that combination. But note: In the list it's "FOLEY" not "AXEL FOLEY", but it could refer to the character. Also, DOLITTLE is likely Dr. Dolittle. So that could be a category: "Eddie Murphy Roles". But wait, we also have "KONG" which might be King Kong, not an Eddie Murphy role. So that would be separate. If that's one category, then the remaining words need other categories. Maybe another category is "Sounds" or "Interjections": TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and what? Maybe "SHAME" or "BAD"? But we tried those. Or maybe "ZIP" as in the sound? Hmm. Perhaps "Words that can follow 'cake'": CAKE WALK? Not in list. CAKE RACE? Not common. Maybe there's a category of "Animal sounds" or "Animal-related": COBRA (snake), FLY (insect), DONKEY (animal), KONG (ape) but DONKEY might be in Eddie Murphy group. If Eddie Murphy group is correct, then DONKEY is used there, so not available for animal group. Let's assume the Eddie Murphy group is correct and try that. But we must be cautious because we only have one incorrect guess left. If we guess wrong, game over. We want to guess a group we are confident about. We haven't tried the Eddie Murphy group yet. That seems plausible. But we need to check if all four are indeed Eddie Murphy characters: - AKEEM: Prince Akeem from Coming to America (Eddie Murphy) - DOLITTLE: Dr. John Dolittle from Dr. Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) - DONKEY: Donkey from Shrek (voiced by Eddie Murphy) - FOLEY: Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop (Eddie Murphy) Yes, all four are well-known Eddie Murphy roles. That seems like a solid category. But wait: Is "DOLITTLE" specifically referring to the Eddie Murphy version? There are multiple Dr. Dolittle movies, but the 1998 one stars Murphy. Likely yes. Also, note that in the list we have "TUT TUT" which might be a reference to Tutankhamun, but not related. So I think this is a good candidate. But what about the other words? They might form other categories. For example, "KONG" and "BARREL" might go together with "DONKEY" but DONKEY is used elsewhere. However, if DONKEY is in the Eddie Murphy group, then "Donkey Kong" is not a category. Maybe there's a category of "Video Game References": Donkey Kong, but we have DONKEY and KONG separate. Could be a trick: the category might be "Words that can be combined with 'Kong' to make a movie/game title": Donkey Kong, King Kong? But we have KONG alone. Not sure. Another possible category: "Expressions of disapproval" might include BAD, SHAME, TSK, TUT. But we tried TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, SHAME and failed. Maybe it's TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and BAD? Or maybe TSK, TUT, TUT TUT are not all in the same group? Maybe TUT TUT is considered one word, and TUT is separate? In Connections, sometimes they have variations. But we tried including TUT TUT with TSK and TUT and it failed. So perhaps the category is something else for those. Maybe the category is "Words that are also sounds" and includes ZIP, TSK, TUT, and maybe FLY? Fly buzz? Not sure. Given the time, I think the Eddie Murphy group is the strongest. I'll go with that. Confidence: I'm fairly confident, maybe 0.8. But let's double-check: Are there any other Eddie Murphy characters in the list? COBRA? Not really. RACE? Not. So the four seem distinct. Also note: In the previous incorrect guesses, we included AKEEM, DOLITTLE, KONG, DONKEY. That had KONG instead of FOLEY. So maybe swapping KONG for FOLEY is the key. So I'll guess: AKEEM, DOLITTLE, DONKEY, FOLEY. Confidence: 0.8 </thinking> <guess> AKEEM, DOLITTLE, DONKEY, FOLEY </guess> <confidence> 0.8</confidence>

Now we have correctly identified one category: Eddie Murphy characters. So those words (AKEEM, DOLITTLE, DONKEY, FOLEY) are now removed from the available words. Remaining words: BAD, TSK, ZIP, CAKE, FLY, RACE, SHAME, TUT TUT, COBRA, BARREL, KONG, TUT. We have 2 incorrect guesses remaining? Actually, we had 1 incorrect guess left before this correct guess. After a correct guess, we can continue guessing other categories. The game allows up to 6 total guesses, and we've used 4 guesses so far (3 incorrect, 1 correct). So we have 2 more guesses total (which could be incorrect or correct). But we can make multiple correct guesses in a row. We need to identify another category from the remaining words. Let's analyze the remaining 12 words: BAD, TSK, ZIP, CAKE, FLY, RACE, SHAME, TUT TUT, COBRA, BARREL, KONG, TUT. We need to find a group of four that are connected. Looking at TSK, TUT, and TUT TUT again. They are all sounds or expressions of disapproval. We've tried including SHAME and ZIP before, but maybe the fourth is something else. Could it be BAD? Or maybe FLY? Unlikely. Perhaps the category is "Interjections" and includes TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and maybe ZIP? But we tried that and it was incorrect. So that's not it. Maybe the category is "Words that can be preceded by 'sound of'": sound of TSK, sound of TUT, sound of ZIP, sound of FLY? But FLY isn't a sound. Another idea: "Words that are also verbs": FLY, RACE, ZIP, CAKE? CAKE can be a verb meaning to form a cake-like layer, but it's not common. BAD is not a verb. SHAME can be a verb. Not consistent. Maybe there's a category related to animals or creatures: COBRA, FLY, KONG (ape), BARREL? Barrel isn't an animal. But KONG is a giant ape, COBRA is a snake, FLY is an insect. Maybe BARREL could be part of "barrel of monkeys" but not an animal itself. Perhaps "Words associated with monkeys": BARREL (barrel of monkeys), KONG (King Kong is an ape), FLY (monkey can fly? no), COBRA (monkey vs. cobra?). Maybe "Words that can be combined with 'cake' to form phrases": CAKE WALK? Not in list. CAKE RACE? Not common. CAKE FLY? No. Another thought: "Words that are also onomatopoeia": ZIP, TSK, TUT, TUT TUT. But we tried that and it was incorrect. So maybe TUT TUT is not considered onomatopoeia in this context? Or maybe the category is different. Let's consider "Words that can be used as commands to dogs": BAD, SHAME, FLY? (as in flyball?), RACE? Not. Maybe there's a category of "Words that are also movie titles": COBRA (1986 film), FLY (The Fly), RACE (Race), CAKE (Cake), BAD (Bad Boys?), SHAME (2011 film), KONG (King Kong), BARREL (not a movie). So many could be movies, but not a clear group of four. Perhaps the category is "Words that can be preceded by 'king'": KING COBRA, KONG is already King Kong, but KONG alone. KING CAKE? Not really. KING FLY? No. Maybe "Words that can be followed by 'race'": CAKE RACE? Not common. BARREL RACE is an event. So BARREL and RACE might go together. But that's only two. BARREL RACE is a rodeo event. Also, there's "race" as a competition. Could there be a category of "Rodeo events"? But only BARREL and RACE? Not enough. Another idea: "Words that are also sounds in comics": ZIP (for speed), TSK (for disapproval), TUT (tutting), maybe FLY (buzz?) not typical. Perhaps the category is "Expressions of disapproval" and we need to choose the right four. We tried with SHAME and ZIP, but maybe it's BAD, SHAME, TSK, TUT. But TUT TUT is similar. Maybe the category includes TUT TUT as one of the four, and TUT is separate? But we have both TUT and TUT TUT. In Connections, sometimes they have words that are similar but might be in different categories. Let's look for other groupings. Notice: COBRA, KONG, BARREL, FLY? Not sure. Maybe there's a category of "Words that can be combined with 'donkey' to form phrases": Donkey Kong (KONG), donkey race (RACE), donkey fly? no, donkey barrel? no. So KONG and RACE could be related to donkey, but we already used DONKEY in the Eddie Murphy category, so that might not be available. Perhaps there's a category of "Video game references": Donkey Kong (but DONKEY is used), so maybe KONG and BARREL? Barrel from Donkey Kong games? In Donkey Kong, there are barrels. So KONG and BARREL could be part of a Donkey Kong category. But we need four words. What about FLY? Not really. ZIP? In games, zip might mean move fast. Not sure. Maybe the category is "Donkey Kong elements": KONG, BARREL, maybe something else? CAKE? No. Another thought: "Words that are also programming terms": ZIP (compression), FLY (Flyweight pattern?), RACE (race condition), BARREL (barrel shifter)? Not likely. Maybe we should consider the possibility that the TSK, TUT, TUT TUT group is not a category at all. But they seem too similar not to be. Let's list possible categories from the remaining words: 1. Sounds of disapproval: TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and maybe SHAME or BAD. 2. Animals/creatures: COBRA, FLY, KONG (ape), and maybe BARREL? No. 3. Verbs: FLY, RACE, ZIP, and maybe CAKE or SHAME. 4. Movie titles: COBRA, FLY, SHAME, CAKE? That could be a group: all are one-word movie titles. Check: COBRA (1986 Sylvester Stallone), FLY (The Fly, 1986 or 1958), SHAME (2011 Steve McQueen), CAKE (2014 Jennifer Aniston). Yes, all are movies. That seems plausible. And they are all single words that are movie titles. But note: KONG is also a movie (King Kong), but it's often two words or one word? "Kong" is a movie too, like "Kong: Skull Island". But maybe they chose these four. Also, RACE is a movie (2016), BAD is a movie (2007), ZIP is not a movie. So COBRA, FLY, SHAME, CAKE could be a category of "One-word movie titles". But wait: Are they all well-known? Possibly. Let's see if there is any conflict: COBRA is a movie, FLY is commonly referred to as "The Fly" but often just "Fly", SHAME is a movie, CAKE is a movie. That seems reasonable. If that is one category, then remaining words: BAD, TSK, ZIP, RACE, TUT TUT, COBRA, BARREL, KONG, TUT. But COBRA would be removed. Actually, if COBRA is in the movie group, then remaining: BAD, TSK, ZIP, FLY? No, FLY also removed. So remaining: BAD, TSK, ZIP, RACE, TUT TUT, BARREL, KONG, TUT. Then we have 8 words left, which would form two groups of four. What could the other groups be? Possibly a group with TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and something else? Or maybe a group with KONG, BARREL, RACE, ZIP? Not sure. Alternatively, maybe the movie group is not correct because FLY might be considered "The Fly" which is two words. But in Connections, they might use it as a single word. Another possible category: "Words that can be preceded by 'sound'": sound barrier? Not. Maybe there's a category of "Words that are also programming languages"? No. Let's consider the possibility of a category related to "Donkey Kong": KONG, BARREL, maybe something like JUMP? Not here. RACE could be related if it's a race in games. ZIP could be like zipping through levels. Not convincing. Perhaps there is a category of "Words that can be combined with 'cake' to make compound words": CAKEWALK (not here), CAKEMIX, no. Another idea: "Words that are also commands in dog training": BAD, SHAME, maybe FLY (as in flyball), RACE? Not. We need to make a guess. Since we have two guesses left, we can afford one incorrect guess, but we want to maximize correctness. Let's think about the TSK, TUT, TUT TUT group. They are all expressions of disapproval that are often written in dialogue. Maybe the category is "Ways to say 'shush' or 'be quiet'": TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and maybe ZIP as in "zip your lips". ZIP could mean to be quiet, as in "zip it". That makes sense. We tried TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, ZIP earlier and it was incorrect. But maybe that's because TUT TUT is considered two words? Or maybe the category is different: "Sounds made with the mouth" and includes TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and maybe POP? Not here. So maybe not. Maybe the category is "Interjections" and includes TSK, TUT, TUT TUT, and SHAME? But we tried that. Given that our previous incorrect guesses included these words, perhaps we are missing that TUT and TUT TUT are actually in different categories? That could be. Sometimes Connections has words that look similar but belong to different groups. Let's look at the list: TUT and TUT TUT are separate entries. Maybe one is for the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun? TUT could refer to King Tut. And TUT TUT might be the expression. That would be tricky. But TSK is clearly not related to Egypt. So perhaps TUT is for King Tut, and TUT TUT is for the expression. Then they might be in different categories. What could TUT (King Tut) be grouped with? Maybe with other historical figures? But we have COBRA (Egyptian snake?), KONG (not historical). Not. Maybe TUT is with AKEEM? But AKEEM is already used. So perhaps TUT is not King Tut here. Given the difficulty, let's try the movie titles category: COBRA, FLY, SHAME, CAKE. That seems like a reasonable guess. Let's check if there's any other movie in the list: KONG is definitely a movie, but maybe they chose these four instead. RACE is also a movie. So why these four? Maybe because they are all one-word titles that are also common words? Possibly. Confidence: moderate, say 0.6. But we also have to consider that if this guess is correct, we'll have two more groups left. Then we can guess another. Alternatively, maybe there's a category of "Words that can be verbs and nouns": many can, but not specific. Another thought: "Words that rhyme with each other": BAD, SHAME? No. FLY, SHAME? No. Maybe the category is "Words that contain the letter 'A'": many do. I think the movie category is worth a try. Let's go with that. Confidence: 0.6 </thinking> <guess> COBRA, FLY, SHAME, CAKE </guess> <confidence> 0.6</confidence>