Today’s Connections Hints & Answers For July 13, 2024 (Puzzle #397)

While some days it can feel like you have to overcome mammoth-level odds in Connections, today’s puzzle is a bit of a breather. There are still some challenges and threats to decipher and decisions as to what guesses you will make still matter, but as you likely know, an easier day today might mean a much more challenging one tomorrow. Still, you should remain careful as one mistake and one wrong guess can make things much harder, so continue to be vigilant as you solve the puzzle.

If you have completed today’s Connections and are looking for a mini-sized puzzle with mammoth-like challenges, you might want to try the NYT’s Mini Crossword puzzle, as it offers a more manageable sized 5×5 grid with the same tough clues for you to figure out. It will take much less time than its bigger cousin and remains free-to-play.

Today’s Connections Category Hints

JULY 13 #397

Today’s categories are fairly scattered across potential subjects, but there is still some potential crossover in the mix just to make it a little more difficult. Here are today’s categories to help you out a little while still giving you the chance to solve the puzzle on your own.

Today’s Connections Answers

JULY 13 #397

Yellow Answers: Revealed & Explained

This was not the first category we solved today, but that was mainly because we were stuck trying to see if one of the latter categories might have been James Cameron films, seeing as AVATAR and TITANIC were both right there. Unfortunately – or fortunately I suppose depending on your rating for those movies – films were not part of this puzzle. After ignoring that and looking closer, GIANT and TITANIC often can be interchanged, and looking around only MONSTER and MAMMOTH were close to meaning the same thing.

Green Answers: Revealed & Explained

Interestingly enough, AVATAR the movie did help solve this puzzle even though it was a massive red herring. Understanding what that word meant in context and seeing PERSONA made us feel like we were heading in the right direction. With MONSTER and WITCH both out there, it was a little tricky as it could just be a category of costumes, but with MONSTER already guessed correctly we were forced to switch to a new direction and luckily it worked.

Blue Answers: Revealed & Explained

This one could be tricky, particularly with LISTEN in the mix, but it was the first category we guessed correctly. APPEAR and LOOK caught our attention once we had dismissed our film category theory, and SEEM fit right in with both of those. After that, it was a matter of whether LISTEN or SOUND might fit in or if it was something else. LISTEN did not feel right, so we guessed SOUND on instinct as it had more of a vague-tone to it than the other did.

Purple Answers: Revealed & Explained

It is not Mr. T, but it is a large amount of silent T’s. CASTLE and HUSTLE looked quite similar so that gave us some suspicion. At the end, we were a little unclear on why LISTEN and WITCH fit in here, but knowing the category really does explain a lot. It also had us thinking about how we pronounce WITCH and wondering how it would sound if we did pronounce the T. It’s weird, is what we’ll say on that.

Other Games Like Connections

After sounding out WITCH and LISTEN a few times after reading about them, you can always enjoy more word-based fun in the following games: