New York Times Connections Puzzle #576 Solved

This challenging NYT Connections puzzle (#576, January 7, 2025) stumped many players. Let's break down the solution. The goal is to sort the following words into four categories: A Few, Love, Barbershop, Essays, A Rose, Certain, Enough, A Life, A Deal, Part One, Various, A Cappella, A Novel, Doo-Wop, Some, and Madrigal.

General Hints:

• The categories aren't based on starting letters or phrases beginning with "A...".
• "Part One" and "A Novel" belong together.
• "Love" and "Enough" are in the same category.

The Solutions:

Here are the four categories and their corresponding words, with hints to guide you:

1. Yellow Category (Vocal Music): Think musical groups that use only voices.

• A Cappella: Clearly vocal-only music.
• Barbershop: A style of close-harmony singing.
• Doo-Wop: A vocal style popular in the 1950s and 60s.
• Madrigal: A type of Renaissance vocal music.

2. Green Category (A Handful Of): Consider words that suggest a small quantity or selection.

• A Few: Indicates a small number.
• Certain: Implies a select group.
• Some: Represents a portion of a larger whole.
• Various: Suggests a small collection of different items.

3. Blue Category (Book Subtitles): These words often appear as subtitles in book titles.

• A Life: Common in biographical titles.
• A Novel: Often used to describe the book type itself.
• Essays: A collection of essays.
• Part One: Indicates a book divided into parts.

4. Purple Category ( is (is ___)): These phrases use repetition of a word or concept.

• A Deal: As in, "A deal is a deal."
• A Rose: As in, "A rose is a rose is a rose."
• Enough: As in, "Enough is enough."
• Love: As in, "Love is love."

Remember to check out the New York Times Games website for more Connections puzzles!