Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn’t—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they’re usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we’ve got you covered.
What Is Connections?
Connections is a game from the New York Times. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4. Each group of words will be connected by some common idea or theme. That common element could be anything. We have seen everything from games that rely on the number of letters in the words to categories that require you to spot an extra letter at the end of the word. Sometimes they’re references to economics, other times they reference fairy tales. There is no telling what sort of association there will be between words.
Once you’re confident you understand the connection, select 4 words, then hit “Submit.” You have only four attempts in total, so don’t be too guess-happy.
Hints for Today’s Connections Categories
Here are a few small hints for the 308th Connections game to get you started:
- Yellow: Not a push.
- Green: Done on a schedule.
- Blue: Flying.
- Purple: What has been added to each word?
What Are Today’s Connections Categories?
If you still need help, the actual categories are:
- Yellow: Pull Using Force
- Green: Bit of Repetitive Training
- Blue: U.S.-Based Airlines
- Purple: Beginning with Day Abbreviations
Today’s NYT Connections Answers
Pull Using Force (Yellow):
Rip, Tear, Wrench, Yank
Bit of Repetitive Training (Green):
Drill, Exercise, Practice, Routine
U.S.-Based Airlines (Blue):
American, Frontier, Spirit, United
Beginning with Day Abbreviations(Purple):
Friar, Monkey, Sundry, Wedding
How Did We Solve This Connections Game?
April 14th was relatively easy, except for Purple.
We first noted drill, practice, and routine are all words used for repetitive training of some kind. As often as not, that training is exercise, so we threw that word in just to see if it stuck. It did! Green was “Bit of Repetitive Training.”
Next, we noticed that rip and tear are basically synonyms. Wrench and yank can also be synonyms, and the four of them are loosely connected by the fact that they’re all associated with pulling. So we stuck them together and luckily finished Yellow, “Pull Using Force.”
With 8 left, American, Frontier, Spirit, and United were pretty straightforward, too. They’re all “U.S.-Based Airlines,” which was Blue.
Purple was challenging. We had to stop and consider the words themselves rather than what they mean. So, what do the words themselves have in common? The first three letters of each word is also an abbreviation for a day of the week. The category was actually named “Beginning with Day Abbreviations.”
How Do You Guess Connections Categories?
There is no quick, reliable way to approach Connections like there is with Wordle, since Connections isn’t algorithmic. However, there are a few things to keep in mind that can help.
- Look for similar parts of speech. Are some words verbs and others nouns? Are some adjectives? Try mentally grouping them based on those categories and see if any other patterns jump out at you.
- Are the words synonyms? Sometimes categories will just be synonyms for a phrase, or very close to synonyms. Don’t rely too closely on this, though. Occasionally, Connections will deliberately throw in words that are sometimes synonyms to mislead you.
- Try saying the words. Sometimes, saying the words helps. One puzzle we saw included the words go, rate, faster, clip, pace, speed, move, commute, and hurry—all of which are obviously related to the idea of motion. However, when you say them, it becomes a little more obvious that only four (go, move, hurry, faster) are things you’d actually say to prompt someone to get moving.
- Expect the red herring. Connections usually has words that could be plausibly, yet incorrectly, grouped together. Take the words Bud, Corona, and Light, as an example. You might instinctively see those three words together and assume they’re lumped together in a category related to beer—but they weren’t.
- Look for distinct words. If a word on your board doesn’t have multiple meanings or can really only be used in one context, try using that word as the basis for a category.
- Shuffle the board. Sometimes, moving words around will help you look at them in new ways.
If you didn’t solve this one, don’t feel too bad—there’s always tomorrow! And those words may align with a topic you’re interested in, giving you a leg up on the competition.
