About Connections

Connections is the word-grouping puzzle created by Wyna Liu and launched by The New York Times in June 2023. It quickly became one of the most-shared daily puzzle games on social media, rivaling Wordle. Your job: find the four groups of four words that share a hidden connection.

The connections are never obvious. Words might group by things that follow "fire," by types of something unexpected, or by multiple meanings of one word. The purple group routinely stumps even veteran players.

How to Play Connections

  • Click four words you think share a hidden category
  • Click Submit to check โ€” correct groups turn into colored bars
  • Yellow = easiest, Green = medium, Blue = hard, Purple = trickiest
  • You have 4 mistakes allowed โ€” use them wisely
  • "One away" means 3 of your 4 picks are correct

Strategy Tips

  • Start with Yellow: Find your most confident group first to reduce the board
  • Watch red herrings: Words that fit two groups are always intentional traps
  • Think word forms: A word can be verb in one context, noun in another
  • Look for "___ + word" patterns: Many purple groups use hidden prefixes

Common Trap Patterns

  • Multiple meanings: "Mercury" = planet, element, car brand, Freddie
  • Compound words: FIRE + place/truck/fly/side
  • Category within a category: "Kitchen items" is too broad โ€” narrow down
  • Don't rush: Read all 16 words before selecting anything