Today's Connections Hints & Answers For July 7, 2024 (Puzzle #391)

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Condensing down to its parts is not that difficult, as it is already in parts at the start of the puzzle and you are charged with putting them back together. Today, the first two categories are relatively easy to reconstruct, but the last two will depend on your knowledge of slang and a specific person. Luckily, we are here to help you put those pieces back together and keep your streak alive.

For those that enjoy, you might also enjoy the NYT's puzzle that allows you to put an image back together. In, there is an image that has disappeared leaving only dots in its wake. These dots can be connected together based on how many lines each one can touch, but you will need to be careful as not every dot connects to the ones closest to it.

The Tiles game for the New York Times mobile app asks you to use various strategies to pair matching visual patterns together to build huge combos.

These categories start off more normal and slowly become more specific, as these puzzles typically go. However, the last two categories today are hard to guess without knowing what the editor was going for. You will be able to learn from us what these categories are so you can solve the puzzle.

CHANGE STATES OF MATTER

REPLACEMENT

SLANGY NAMES FOR PROFESSIONS

MARIAH CAREY NUMBER ONE HITS

CHANGE STATES OF MATTER

CONDENSE

FREEZE

MELT

VAPORIZE

This one is easier than the others, but with words like SHRINK elsewhere you will have to decide which word fits in best. The main difference is that shrinking does not automatically alter the state of matter like the other words here do. Although, it could be argued that condensing does not always do so either but the definition used here does.

REPLACEMENT

ALTERNATE

BACKUP

COVER

SUB

This was the easiest category today, as no other words could really be used as a replacement for any of these ones. Ironically, the BACKUP words did not have any SUBs. This made it easier to identify them and separate them from the rest of the words. That