green group · The short answer
BY MEANS OF
Each puzzle word passes the same exact test. The four mappings show how the answer works.
BY can identify how something is done or who or what performs it, as in sending something by courier.
PER can mean by means of or through, especially in concise instructions and formal constructions.
THROUGH can show that a result was obtained by way of a person, system, process or route.
VIA introduces the route, stop, channel or method through which something passes or happens.
Why this group was difficult
- The words do not substitute everywhere
Their shared sense is broad, but ordinary usage and register determine which one sounds natural in a particular sentence. - Several have prominent competing meanings
BY can indicate proximity, PER can mean for each, and THROUGH can describe movement from one side to another.
How to spot this pattern next time
Test a neutral action such as sending a message or obtaining access, then ask which words can introduce the method, channel or intermediary.
Prefer a shared functional meaning over identical substitution; related prepositions often express the same general relation with different syntax.
Four useful facts behind the group
- The official category is exactly BY MEANS OF.
- Each entry can introduce a method, route or agency.
- The words differ in register and normal sentence patterns.
- Primary meanings such as proximity and rate create ambiguity.
Questions players ask
The details people search after seeing the group
What connects BY, PER, THROUGH and VIA in Connections #1148?
Each can convey that something is done, sent, reached or obtained by means of a particular method, route or intermediary.
Why is PER included in the BY MEANS OF group?
PER can mean through or by means of a stated channel, as well as carrying its more familiar meaning of for each.
Do BY, PER, THROUGH and VIA mean exactly the same thing?
No. They share a means, route or agency sense, but their natural syntax, register and precise applications differ.