connection game : The Connections game (Connections NYT) is a very good word game that is easy to work with and difficult to be good at. Just as Wordle has grabbed ours with its basic word-guess format, connection game— the perfect addition to your morning rotation — provides a brain-teasing workout that challenges your lexicon, logic and pattern-spotting abilities.
We’ll discuss what the connection game is and how to play, the best strategies, and why it’s one of the most addictive new offerings from NYT Games.
What Is the Connections Game?
The Connections NYT game is a word puzzle in which players must divide 16 revealed words into four sets of four, each set sharing a common theme or connection game. Four of the words in each set have something in common — a category, a concept, a relationship. You whistle the answer and find the hidden links.
Created by the New York Times editor Wyna Liu, the game was introduced in beta on the NYT Games site and is now one of the most popular features on it, along with Wordle and Spelling Bee.
How the Connections NYT Game is Played
Here is a primitive explanation of how the game of Connections is played:
- The Setup: Each puzzle consists of 16 words laid out in a 4-by-4 three types of yoga differs, even as the basic principles of each email word = 1 tile grid.
- The Challenge: Sort the 16 words into 4 groups of 4 related words each.
- Categories: The four categories differ in difficulty — typically from easiest to hardest — and can involve puns, pop culture references or words with multiple meanings.
- Guesses: You can make as many guesses as necessary, but you have 4 errors before you lose the game.
- Color Codes: Every right group is color-coded:
- Yellow: Easiest
- Green: Moderate
- Blue: Hard
- Purple: Hardest or most obscure
The game is reset daily so everybody receives the same puzzle per day meaning users can share and discuss puzzles as a community.
Why Does the Connections Game Resonate?
Part of the success of Connections NYT is owed to:
- Bite size play: It only takes 5–10 minutes to play, and use the boxes as quick, makeshift dry erase boards to reveal clues.
- Cognitive stimulation: It puts the brain to work by requiring players to detect subtle connections.
- Word-of-mouth: People love posting results and arguing over tough word groupings.
- Freshness on a daily basis: A daily puzzle offers replay value.
What’s more, since the puzzles frequently allude to music, film, slang, history or pop culture, it feels like a vocabulary test and a trivia game combined.
How to access the Connections NYT game
To engage in some Connections fun, just:
- Head to the New York Times Games page to access the crossword.
- Search for the “Connections” icon or tab.
- You can play for free without a subscription, but the NYT also appears to offer extra perks for paying subscribers, like access to archives and other games.
The game is also responsive making it a perfect game to enjoy via you phone.
A Plan to Win the Connections Game
The Connections NYT game can be really challenging. Here are a few ways to improve your odds:
Start with the obvious
Quick scan the words and look for any easy matches. Words like “Tulip,” “Rose,” “Lily” and “Daisy” obviously are in the category of flower friends — that’s probably your yellow group.
Think laterally
Some connections are more clever wordplay. For instance, both “Rock,” “Paper,” “Scissors” and “Lizard” might have “Game Variants” as a category. Expect double entendres or puns.
Group test your guesses
Choose any four words that in your opinion are similar, and send. If you are wrong, see which of your answers don’t belong otherwise. The game doesn’t really scold you unless your answer is dead wrong.
Use elimination
Once you make a group, eliminate those words from the board. This narrows your area of vision and allows you to see new patterns among the words that remain.
Watch for trick categories
The hardest category (purple) can be themed, such as “Things that bounce” or “Double letters.” Keep an open mind, and don’t focus on the weeds.
Regular categories of things in connections NYT
The large number of Categories in the Connections game keeps it interesting. Here are some examples of trends:
- Homonyms (e.g., big, large, huge, massive)
- The kind of food (for example, sushi, ramen, udon, miso) …
- Notable people with the same first name
- Movie titles
- Homophones
- Brand names
- Tools or instruments
- Colors
- Sports teams
- Slang terms
And sometimes even your cultural background, or age, can dictate how easily you spot particular patterns, so you can’t always say the same things about everybody, which makes the puzzle inclusive — but sometimes subjective as well.
Is There Anyway To Play Past Connections Games?
Yes, if you are a subscriber to NYT Games you can play the archive of Connections puzzles, which will allow you to practice with previous puzzles and sharpen your skills. Daily answers of many third party crosswords are also posted that day.
The Trend of Connections Online
Outside of the NYT ecosystem, the Connections game has created buzz on social media sites such as Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter. Players post daily screenshots, debate about tough categories, and some even make intimate fan-made versions.
Some teachers and parents even utilize Connections-style puzzles in class to promote critical thinking and increase vocabulary, modifying the format to focus on different topics or levels.
Final Thoughts
The Connections NYT game isn’t just a word challenge you can play every day — it’s a mental workout, a way of building community and a celebration of the English language. No matter whether you’re a novice or a crossword-puzzle professional, the exhilaration of nailing all four categories is unparalleled.
If you haven’t tried the Connections game yet, you can do so in the New York Times Games section. And with a format that’s as easy to learn as it is to love, it’s no wonder the game is so popular around the world.