Scan the words for categories, phrases, shared functions, or wordplay, but do not submit the first obvious pair. A group needs four members and a category you can state clearly. Several words may be deliberate decoys that fit more than one theme.
Try grouping all sixteen words provisionally before committing. If a candidate group leaves impossible leftovers, reconsider it. In Connections, save ambiguous words until a stronger group removes some possibilities.
The best test is whether your category distinguishes those four words from every remaining one.
Akousa