Released in June 2023, Connections has since established itself as the second most-played game in the New York Times games section, behind only Wordle. Unlike other word games, Connections requires players to organize words into categories based upon something that links them together, which can provide an extraordinary test of logic for experienced puzzle solvers.
How to play Connections NYT
Although the concept behind Connections is simple in theory, putting it into practice can prove to be an extremely difficult challenge. Often, players can start off strong, before they come unstuck trying to solve the final two categories which contain more obscure links.
1. When you start a game of connections you will see a 4×4 grid, with each box containing a different word.
2. The aim of the game is to find four groups of four words, which will be connected by a linking category. The categories given are designed to be more distinct in nature than just “names”, “verbs” or “5-letter-words“.
3. Each category found represents a different level of difficulty. From easiest to most difficult, the order of the categories is yellow → green → blue → purple.
4. To make a guess, select four words and press or click submit to see if it is a correct grouping. You can select and deselect words an unlimited number of times before you decide to submit them.
5. During a game, players are allowed to make a maximum of four mistakes. When a mistake is made, the remaining answers will stay as they are and a life will be removed. If all four mistakes are made, the game will end as a loss.
6. Once all groupings have been found, they will be displayed in the color that responds to their difficulty, alongside their common link.
7. A results screen can also be viewed to show you how many guesses were taken during the game, plus how any incorrect guesses combined wrong answers by identifying their colors.
8. The minimum guesses needed to solve a level of Connections is 4 (best) and the maximum is 7 (worst). Once finished, players can see how much time they will need to wait in order to play the next puzzle. What’s more, they can even click to share their results with their friends, family or colleagues.
Connections NYT tips and tricks
During a game of Connections, players should try to enter into each level with a winning game strategy. Take a look at some of WordsRated’s key tips and tricks to help you find all of the hidden categories while committing the minimum number of mistakes.
Focus deeply on each word – Taking the time to consider each word by itself can allow you to characterize and categorize it, ready to link with another group. It should be noted that words in the purple (hardest) group may even be linked due to anagrams, rhymes, palindromes, homophones, filling in the blanks or something else, so the more information you can gather, the better.
Unlimited use of shuffle – By moving the tiles around each time you get stuck, you can start to see word combinations that you may not have spotted before. Prior to shuffling, it may be difficult to spot a link between words on different sides of the board but when they are placed side-by-side, it forces your eyes to notice them.
Spot overlapping words – When you start to analyze the potential groupings in a game of Connections, you may find that certain words fit into multiple categories. These types of words can easily cause you to make incorrect guesses, so you should make a mental note of the categories you think they could belong to and evaluate them after you are more certain on what the final grouping may be.
Use the Connections Companion – The NYT releases a daily article to help players of Connections who get stuck. Take a look at this when out of ideas to find the puzzle’s difficulty level according to testers, hints from readers and even a word that belongs to each category.
Already played combinations – Fortunately the game does keeps a list of any failed guesses you make so there is no need to track these yourself. If you make an incorrect guess, be rest assured that you only need to focus on the new combinations you can make in upcoming turns.
“One away” – If a guess is submitted that contains 3 out of 4 of the words needed for a grouping, Connections will display the “one away” message to let players know they are close. When this is shown, think very carefully about the words included so you can identify the word that doesn’t match. Once this has been found, look for the most relevant word it can be substituted by.
Make the most of your time – Connections is a daily game just like Wordle that allows players to keep the game at the back of their mind over the course of 24 hours. Due to this, a good strategy is to not rush into any guesses immediately and instead take additional time to consider each option available to you.
Why isn’t Connections on the NYT app?
It is a common misconception that Connections is not available on the NYT app. It is currently available to play there, along with other well-known NYT titles such as Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed and The Crossword.
How to get Connections on NYT app?
To play Connections on the NYT app, simply download it from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store. Once downloaded, open the app and navigate to the games section to find and begin playing Connections.
Note: Users have the option to create an NYT account or to play as a guest. Creating an account will allow players to track their scores.
What do the colors mean in Connections NYT?
- Each word given in a game of Connections starts off coloured light gray.
- When words are highlighted to form different groups before submission, they will turn dark gray.
- Once submitted and a group of four words is solved, the words in the group will change color to either yellow, green, blue or purple.
- The meaning behind each color is listed below:
- Yellow – Easy
- Green – Normal
- Blue – Hard
- Purple – Very hard
- Beginner players should aim to score 2/4 groups, while more experienced players should aim for 3/4 groups or to solve them all.
What does one away mean in Connections NYT?
- “One away” is a common term in Connections that is used any time 3 words out of 4 from a group have been identified.
- It is displayed in order to let the player know that they are close to solving an entire group and allow them to consider which word should be replaced by another to complete the group.
- However, players will still lose a turn if their attempt results in 3/4 words being correct.