Looking for today's Connections answer for puzzle #415 on July 30, which is considerably easier than yesterday's answer, the Connections companion gives this puzzle a difficulty rating of 2 out of 5.

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, as well as the category names and related vocabulary. In addition, for those of you reading this in a different time zone, I have included a reflection on yesterday's puzzle, #414.

There are spoilers for connection #415. Only read this if you want to know the answer to today's connection.

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.

There is a bigger clue: for the first category, follow the words diagonally down. Then think about what a building herd is and explain if necessary. Finally, do you have talent?

Now, what is the answer to today's game 415, Connections?

Drum roll please.

It's not every day that a clue lines up in a connection puzzle, and I think that's partly why today's grid is rated as easy.

The yellow categories are arranged diagonally from the first corner word to the last bottom corner. So it was quick to find neat, nifty, super, and swell.

I got caught in the facility trap when putting together the purple categories of block, complex, compound, and development. I skipped the blocks and chose facilities, which I believe can also be called a group of buildings.

As we have done here, elaborating, expanding, explaining, and identifying are things that can be done as soon as the grid is settled.

Finally, we had to memorize the words for talent: equipment, talent, talent, and knack. We did a similar category last week, but given that we swapped facility for faculty, it was kind of a repeat. If I remember correctly, gift and flair were among them.

Are you reading this late in the day? According to the Connections Companion, the difficulty level was 3 out of 5.

The yellow category was easy today, partly because we are in the middle of the Olympics. The Coliseum and Arena were easy enough, and I thought the courts might be in there somewhere, but once those were ruled out, the Bowl and Dome remained the only clear choices.

Next came the green category, and once I realized that Alley, Court, and Drive had nothing to do with sports, I was on the right track.

Today I stumbled upon the blue and purple categories. Libra came to mind as a constellation, but that quickly went out the window, as the only thing that could possibly fall into this category was fish. Further complicating things, I had no idea what solfege was. But I do understand the double meaning of both. Too clever for me.