Connections hints and definitions for November 13, 2023

Connections, a new word game from the New York Times, takes the simple task of grouping 16 words into 4 groups of 4 and turns it into a brain teasing challenge.

What seems simple at first quickly becomes a lot more difficult, as ambiguous words which could fit into multiple categories muddy the water. And that’s even before you’ve taken into account cryptic categories, proper nouns and archaic phrases which make things even tougher.

Today’s Connections puzzle for November 13, 2023 is particularly esoteric. However, to lend a hand we’ve come up with some clues to help push you towards the right solution. We’ve devised these Connections hints to help you get a sense of the problem, hopefully without completely giving the game away.

Alongside the answers at the bottom - which we’ve hidden behind spoiler tags so you don’t see them accidentally - we’ve also listed the definitions for all of the words featured, because sometimes that’s enough to highlight a new perspective you hadn’t considered before.

Connections definitions for November 13, 2023

• Cutup - Someone who likes making jokes or playing the fool
• Hallmark - A makers mark designed to certify an official standard of quality, or a brand of greetings cards
• Letter - A written or typed method of communication that’s sent to someone else, or a single character used to represent the sound of speech
• Trait - A distinguishing quality or characteristic
• Word - A single distinctly meaningful element of spoken or written speech
• Sentence - A collection of words that forms a complete utterance, or the duration of a punishment
• Card - A piece of thick, stiff paper, or someone who is droll, odd or amusing company
• Book - A printed work bound by a cover, to reserve something in advance, or to make an official note of personal details
• Tea - A drink made by infusing leaves into boiling water, an evening meal, or gossip
• Clown - A traditional comedic entertainer, or someone who metaphorically acts like one
• Paragraph - A distinct section in a piece of writing
• Feature - A distinctive attribute of someone or something, or an article discussing a topic at length
• Tree - A woody plant with a trunk, roots and leaves
• Joker - Someone who likes to tell jokes, or a non-suited playing card
• Stamp - To bring your foot down heavily, to press an engraving into something using a tool, or a sticker indicating the amount of postage paid
• Table - A piece of furniture, usually including a flat surface and legs

Connections hints for November 13, 2023

• Group 1 hint: These words are all vital to how we speak, write and read - Alternative words: Phrase, Clause, Morpheme
• Group 2 hint: The things that make you, you - Alternative words: Quirk, Calling Card, Idiosyncrasy
• Group 3 hint: These people are always the life of the party - Alternative words: Jester, Wiseguy, Prankster
• Group 4 hint: Only real ones are used for photosynthesis, but all of these words have them anyway - Alternative words: Fig, Bush, The ground in Autumn

Connections answers for November 13, 2023

Click or press on the spoiler tags below to reveal the hidden Connections answers.

• Group 1 answer: “Unit of Language” - Letter, Paragraph, Sentence, Word
• Group 2 answer: “Trademark” - Feature, Hallmark, Stamp, Trait
• Group 3 answer: “Funny Person” - Card, Clown, Cutup, Joker
• Group 4 answer: “Things with Leaves” - Book, Table, Tea, Tree

It was a tough Connections puzzle today. Personally, I’d never heard the phrase Cutup before and the rest of the words felt like a bit of a random pile - particularly the leaf one, what was that about?

However, the language category was a bit of a gimme, so I could get two more from there. Hopefully you managed to come out on top too!