Each Connections puzzle features a 16-word grid from which you’re supposed to make four groups of words that share something in common. Per the NYT itself, these categories typically involve trivia (like band names or famous artists) or the meaning and structure of words (like synonyms or homophones).
Each group is color-coded according to its difficulty level. The yellow group is the easiest and most obvious connection, green and blue are medium, and purple is the trickiest of the bunch — usually super-specific, abstract themes that might leave you scratching your head even after you’ve figured out the answers, but don’t worry, that’s the fun of it. Technically, you only need to figure out three groups — the fourth will naturally be left over after 12 words are eliminated. If you’re finding it difficult to make a connection, you can shuffle the board to rearrange the words and make it easier to spot one.
Click on four words and hit Submit to see if you’ve guessed a group correctly. If you’re right, those words will be removed from the board and displayed in a color-coded bar above, along with the key to the category. You might get a message telling you that you’re one word away from a connection if you’ve selected three correct words, but it’s up to you to figure out which one to swap. If you’re wrong, that counts as a mistake, and players lose the game if they make four mistakes per game. The hints below might help you prevent that from happening.
