Today’s Connections Hints & Answers For October 14, 2024 (Puzzle #490)

If you are attempting to sift through the words in today’s Connections puzzle and are struggling to put them together, you are lucky you made it here. We have clues and tips to keep you from losing this one. There are a lot of potential pitfalls in every single Connections puzzle, but if you are trying to avoid them, the tips and tricks we have for you can help you.

If you like Connections, you will also likely enjoy the NYT Tiles puzzle. It is about looking for pairs and in some ways feels a lot like a matching game like Go Fish. In this case, you are competing against yourself and the computer as opposed to an opponent. Get a bigger streak with every new puzzle and a new higher score. You will have to make a lot of matches to get that streak higher and higher.

Today’s Connections Category Hints

OCTOBER 14 #490

In today’s puzzle, a fair number of words can be nouns or verbs, making it hard to recognize which meaning is the right one to go off of. With the right deductive reasoning, you can start separating the words out and constructing the various categories. Today, we can help you figure that out by giving you the right hints and spoilers if necessary.

One category is about getting things sorted.
One category is about certain noises that a type of natural event makes.
One category is about how you can style something.
One category is about four things that can all have types of foliage.

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The Password Game can be frustrating as it uses complex mechanics that can be difficult to figure out, even with help.

Once you have taken a look at the clues and started trying to sort them out, you might still find yourself stumped. If you do, we still have more clues for you to help you finish it up.

	RUMMAGE
	SOUNDS OF THUNDER
	WAYS TO WEAR YOUR HAIR UP
	THINGS THAT CAN HAVE LEAVES

Today’s Connections Answers

OCTOBER 14 #490

Yellow Answers: Revealed & Explained

RUMMAGE
COMB	DIG	ROOT	SIFT

If you need to rummage through something, you might be DIGGING through it. ROOT can connect plants to the ground, but it can also mean rummaging, especially if you are trying to get to the bottom. SIFT can mean a number of things, but as an archaeologist, being able to sift through dirt is one of my favorite meanings and something I have done quite a lot of. Lastly, to COMB through something can mean using a comb in your hair, but it has another meaning as well.

Green Answers: Revealed & Explained

SOUNDS OF THUNDER
CLAP	PEAL	ROLL	RUMBLE

This one took me a second to figure out, as I kind of forgot that the word PEAL existed. It is a good word and should probably be adding to my vocabulary a bit more than I currently do. I was more aware of RUMBLE and ROLL and had those two grouped together from the beginning before adding CLAP as another loud noise. It was not until I finished the category that I realized they were all supposed to be words about thunder specifically, but it made sense as a category about loud noises without that specification.

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Blue Answers: Revealed & Explained

WAYS TO WEAR YOUR HAIR UP
BRAID	BUN	PONY	TWIST

After seeing BRAID and TWIST, I thought it was likely that they went together and started looking for other options. I did not see anything about rope or any other kind of “twisting” words that would lean more toward a category of verbs, so I looked at BUN and thought it could be various hairstyles. It took me a little too long to add PONY into the mix, but it was because it was missing the crucial “tail” that would have clued me in sooner. That being said, I am still glad I managed to solve it regardless.

Purple Answers: Revealed & Explained

THINGS THAT CAN HAVE LEAVES
BOOK	SALAD	TABLE	TREE

Lastly, this category was something that I was leaning toward but was unsure of. I had seen BOOK and TREE earlier and thought it could be something about things that are made of or made up of paper, which ended up nearly being correct, but when I came back to these words at the end, it did not immediately make sense as I entered in the last guess. Seeing it now makes more sense, and I am a little mad about how close I was. I cannot, however, be mad about solving it correctly and getting the win.

Other Games Like Connections

If you need another puzzle to fill the void now that you have finished the Connections puzzle, check out Crosswordle to get a fun intersecting challenge all about words.