The four groups

  • POSIX shell builtins

    EXPORT · ALIAS · UNSET · SOURCE

  • Coreutils for text processing

    GREP · AWK · SED · CUT

  • Process/system inspection commands

    PS · TOP · HTOP · UPTIME

  • Words that follow HASH

    MAP · BANG · TABLE · BROWN

    Hashmap, hashbang (#!), hash table, hash brown.

Why this puzzle works

SOURCE is the hidden tell — most non-shell-heads think 'source' = source code, not the shell builtin (source ~/.bashrc). MAP wants to belong in a JS-array-methods group, but no such group exists in this puzzle; it's a wordplay tile. The breakfast pun (BROWN) is the give-away that purple is wordplay.

How to read a Connectle without solving it

A code-themed grouping puzzle rewards counting as much as recognition. Start by listing every plausible group, then notice which tiles appear in two lists. Whichever group has exactly four unambiguous members is your anchor — solve it first and the rest of the board collapses by elimination. The hardest tier (purple) is almost always wordplay: tiles that share a prefix or suffix, not a concept. If a tile feels orphaned, ask whether the same word could follow or precede a common engineering word like root, stack, cache, or queue.