Looking for today's Connections answer for puzzle 408 on July 23, the difficulty level for this puzzle from Connections Companion was 3 out of 5, down from yesterday's answer.

We update our Connections clues and hints daily. If the hints are not enough for you, we have also included the solutions to all four puzzles, the category names, and related words. In addition, for those of you reading this in a different time zone, I have included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle, #407.

There are spoilers for connection #408. Only those who want to know the answer to today's connection should read on.

Alternatively, see our NYT Connections How to Play Guide for tips on how to solve the puzzle without our help.

While today's wordle solution guide recommends the best wordle starting words as a strategy, the Connections solution depends on identifying the categories that are connected from the 16 words. The difficulty of each category is represented by a color, with yellow being the easiest grouping and purple the most difficult. Hints are helpful as the answer is displayed after four wrong guesses.

If you need a hint to help you solve the groupings, here are each theme in order of difficulty:

If you read these hints, you should at least find the answer to today's connection. If not, please continue reading for larger hints. Also, if you only want to know the answer, scroll down further.

Here's a bigger clue: If you start with Looney Tunes, you'll see Fake, One Upper, and You Tube.

Now for the answer to today's game #408, Connections.

Drum roll please.

Days like today are when you have to think about what purple categories you like and what categories you don't like. Of all the similarities, I dislike “word minus one letter” the most.

It should be easier than yesterday's puzzle, but I struggled with it today.

My first strike was trying to line up the yellow category with charlatans, hot dogs, peacocks, and showboats instead of ham in the blue category. In general, I think it works, but it definitely fits the scam, quackery, and sham.

Here I ran into a problem. I just couldn't figure out the connection between the green and purple words. For too long I had noise, sound, speed, and was just trying to fit another word, and two strikes in a row were taken because I was forcing the issue.

It wasn't until I finally decided to eliminate words that didn't fit at all that I was able to narrow it down to noise, sound, beep, tweet, word.

I still don't think word fits the Utterance category, but I figured it out.

Anyway, that left the purple category, and despite my love of Looney Tunes, I found no joy in this category.

Some days my mind would go against me, and in my case I stared blankly at the screen for longer than I wanted to admit. It was empty.

I'm reading this late in the day. According to Connections Companion, the difficulty level was 3.7 out of 5.

The seemingly unconnected words chain, fight, processor, and pyramid made for a fun challenge.

Today's green was incredibly easy and the instrument theme came together quickly. From there I stumbled a bit.

I discovered the connection between area, domain, and field as land ownership, but missed the sphere for longer than I wanted to admit.

The blue categories are fun and the words are perfectly designed to lead you in the wrong direction. They are chain, fight, processor, pyramid, and sphere. I thought about these five words for a while before I guessed that spheres lead to the yellow category.

As I've said before, the purple category is fun and makes me smile in the morning.

Enjoy the new week. I hope today's puzzle will help you start the day in a wonderful mood.