PUZZLE WORDS · SIMPLY EXPLAINED
Go beyond a one-line meaning. Explore a clear explanation, a natural example sentence and extra dictionary meanings for each of the sixteen words, without revealing the groups.
Showing all 16 words
A hairstyle made by drying hair with a blow dryer into a smooth, full shape.
Daily puzzle explanationa gay festivity
a sudden malfunction of a part or apparatus
Example: “the right front tire had a blowout”
an easy victory
Having a strong, muscular body.
Daily puzzle explanation(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
Example: “the built liquid detergents”
A unit of weight for gemstones, equal to 200 milligrams.
Daily puzzle explanationthe unit of measurement for the proportion of gold in an alloy; 18-karat gold is 75% gold; 24-karat gold is pure gold
a unit of weight for precious stones = 200 mg
Blackened by burning.
Daily puzzle explanationThe quality of being clear and easy to understand.
Daily puzzle explanationthe quality of clear water
Example: “when she awoke the clarity was back in her eyes”
free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
To dye hair a new shade.
Daily puzzle explanationthe appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation
an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading
Example: “he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity”
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
Example: “a white color is made up of many different wavelengths of light”
the timbre of a musical sound
Example: “the recording fails to capture the true color of the original music”
interest and variety and intensity
Example: “the Puritan Period was lacking in color”
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction
Example: “each flavor of quarks comes in three colors”
any material used for its color
Example: “she used a different color for the trim”
change color, often in an undesired manner
Example: “The shirts discolored”
add color to
Example: “The child colored the drawings”
affect as in thought or feeling
Example: “My personal feelings color my judgment in this case”
give a deceptive explanation or excuse for
Example: “color a lie”
decorate with colors
Example: “color the walls with paint in warm tones”
modify or bias
Example: “His political ideas color his lectures”
having or capable of producing colors
Example: “color film”
The surrounding words or circumstances that give something its meaning.
Daily puzzle explanationdiscourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation
the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event
Example: “the historical context”
Slang for having muscles that stand out clearly with little body fat.
Daily puzzle explanationan unexcused absence from class
Example: “he was punished for taking too many cuts in his math class”
the act of reducing the amount or number
Example: “the mayor proposed extensive cuts in the city budget”
the act of shortening something by chopping off the ends
Example: “the barber gave him a good cut”
the act of cutting something into parts
Example: “his cuts were skillful”
the act of penetrating or opening open with a sharp edge
Example: “his cut in the lining revealed the hidden jewels”
the division of a deck of cards before dealing
Example: “he insisted that we give him the last cut before every deal”
(sports) a stroke that puts reverse spin on the ball
Example: “cuts do not bother a good tennis player”
in baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball
Example: “he took a vicious cut at the ball”
a refusal to recognize someone you know
Example: “the snub was clearly intentional”
a trench resembling a furrow that was made by erosion or excavation
a canal made by erosion or excavation
the style in which a garment is cut
Example: “a dress of traditional cut”
the omission that is made when an editorial change shortens a written passage
Example: “an editor's deletions frequently upset young authors”
a distinct selection of music from a recording or a compact disc
Example: “he played the first cut on the cd”
(film) an immediate transition from one shot to the next
Example: “the cut from the accident scene to the hospital seemed too abrupt”
a remark capable of wounding mentally
Example: “the unkindest cut of all”
a piece of meat that has been cut from an animal carcass
a share of the profits
Example: “everyone got a cut of the earnings”
a wound made by cutting
Example: “he put a bandage over the cut”
a step on some scale
Example: “he is a cut above the rest”
cut off the testicles (of male animals such as horses)
Example: “the vet gelded the young horse”
grow through the gums
Example: “The new tooth is cutting”
have grow through the gums
Example: “The baby cut a tooth”
cut and assemble the components of
Example: “edit film”
lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
Example: “cut bourbon”
reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
Example: “The manuscript must be shortened”
cease, stop
Example: “cut the noise”
cut down on; make a reduction in
Example: “reduce your daily fat intake”
have a reducing effect
Example: “This cuts into my earnings”
dissolve by breaking down the fat of
Example: “soap cuts grease”
Strands of real or synthetic hair added to give extra length or volume.
Daily puzzle explanationA clear, deep understanding of a person or situation.
Daily puzzle explanationgrasping the inner nature of things intuitively
clear or deep perception of a situation
the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation
a feeling of understanding
Slang for having a very muscular body.
Daily puzzle explanationAn American nu metal band formed in Bakersfield, California, in 1993.
Daily puzzle explanationA hole or crack through which liquid or gas escapes.
Daily puzzle explanationunauthorized (especially deliberate) disclosure of confidential information
the discharge of a fluid from some container
Example: “they tried to stop the escape of gas from the damaged pipe”
an accidental hole that allows something (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape
Example: “one of the tires developed a leak”
a euphemism for urination
Example: “he had to take a leak”
soft watery rot in fruits and vegetables caused by fungi
have an opening that allows light or substances to enter or go out
Example: “The container leaked gasoline”
enter or escape as through a hole or crack or fissure
Example: “Water leaked out of the can into the backpack”
be leaked
Example: “The news leaked out despite his secrecy”
tell anonymously
Example: “The news were leaked to the paper”
A particular way of viewing things; a point of view.
Daily puzzle explanationthe appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
Example: “consider what follows from the positivist view”
Slang for extremely muscular, with very little body fat.
Daily puzzle explanationstupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
Example: “a noisy crowd of intoxicated sailors”
A light haircut that removes only a little length.
Daily puzzle explanationcutting down to the desired size or shape
a decoration or adornment on a garment
Example: “the trimming on a hat”
attitude of an aircraft in flight when allowed to take its own orientation
a state of arrangement or appearance
Example: “in good trim”
adjust (sails on a ship) so that the wind is optimally used
cut down on; make a reduction in
Example: “reduce your daily fat intake”
cut closely
Example: “trim my beard”
remove the edges from and cut down to the desired size
Example: “pare one's fingernails”
cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of
Example: “dress the plants in the garden”
decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods
decorate, as with ornaments
Example: “trim the christmas tree”
be in equilibrium during a flight
Example: “The airplane trimmed”
balance in flight by regulating the control surfaces
Example: “trim an airplane”
thin and fit
Example: “the spare figure of a marathon runner”
severely simple in line or design
Example: “a neat tailored suit”
neat and smart in appearance
Example: “a clean-cut and well-bred young man”
of places; characterized by order and neatness; free from disorder
Example: “even the barn was shipshape”
The first explanation is written to make the word easy to understand in ordinary English. Where available, an original example sentence shows how the word can be used. Additional entries are separate senses from Princeton WordNet 3.1, not alternative answers to the puzzle.
WordNet is a lexical reference rather than a complete dictionary of every name, slang term, abbreviation or new expression. A missing entry does not mean a word is invalid.
Daily puzzle record: Fetched from the date-specific public NYT Games JSON endpoint and validated against the requested puzzle date and required fields. The endpoint is undocumented and may change. It does not provide independent editorial hints.
Lexical reference: Princeton WordNet 3.1, hosted on this site. About WordNet · License and attribution.
The example sentences in the daily explanations are original illustrations. Wordle Hint is an independent puzzle helper and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times.
It lists all sixteen words from the selected daily Connections board. Each entry includes a plain-English meaning, a fuller explanation and an illustrative example where available, followed by other dictionary senses and related words. It does not show the four categories or group answers.
The main word meanings and expanded explanations are editorial descriptions written for this page. Additional meanings, parts of speech, examples and related terms are drawn from the locally hosted Princeton WordNet 3.1 lexical database and labelled separately. The example sentences in the main entries are original illustrations.
Words often have different meanings depending on how they are used. A word can also function as more than one part of speech. The page separates the daily explanation from WordNet senses so you can compare them without confusing one meaning for another.
WordNet does not cover every name, abbreviation, inflection or puzzle-specific form. When there is no direct headword, the page says so rather than inventing a dictionary meaning.
Yes. Open the additional WordNet meanings under a word or follow its dictionary link to search the full English Dictionary, including parts of speech, synonyms and examples.
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