Discover the most effective winning techniques while putting your wits to the test with this new, addicting game from the New York Times.
Remember when you couldn't start your day without completing the latest Wordle challenge? Don't refute it: When the addicting word game first appeared online in late 2021, everyone became enamored with it. You could still like seeing how many times it will take you to guess the secret word, being overly ecstatic when the small green squares appear to indicate that you are on the correct track, and boasting to your friends when you do it quickly. Connections is going to become your new addiction.

This new brain game, which was released by New York Times Games in the middle of June but is currently in beta testing, is all about identifying connections among seemingly unrelated words. Here's everything you should know and how to succeed.

What Is Connections?

Wyna Liu, the puzzle editor at the New York Times, describes Connections Game as "a category matching game." It has a four-by-four square with 16 word tiles that, at first appearance, appear to have nothing in common. Certain words can be grouped together based on their similarity. Before putting words together, you won't know the names of any categories, so it's up to you to make connections and choose the appropriate groups. Once you've neatly arranged 16 words into four categories after grouping your first four words, you'll repeat the procedure three more times.

Fish species, pasta shapes, NFL teams, mild swear words, films with exclamation points, and everything else the New York Times Gaming editors can think of as categories. The key? Imagine what people are thinking by thinking as they do.

They also give the following two instances in addition to the formal rules:

FISH: Trout, Salmon, Flounder, and Bass

FIRE ___: Ant, Drill, Island, Opal

Several of them will undoubtedly put your language and reasoning abilities to the test.

What are the rules for the game Connections?

When you first open Connections in your browser or on your phone, you'll get a brief pop-up guideline guide that will help you get started right away. As stated before, you must identify groups of four words that share a characteristic—and accomplish this exercise without making too many mistakes. The user interface is straightforward. Just tap or click the words you wish to pick, then choose "Submit." But it goes a little deeper than that.

Recognize that the categories grow harder and harder.

You must be aware of the category possibilities in order to succeed. Four categories are distinguished by color in each Connections game. Yellow is the simplest color to distinguish, followed by green, blue, and purple (hard). Hence, a yellow category will be something simple, like "Winged Insects," and it will only have four distinct winged bugs. But, a purple category will require you to look for a less obvious match, similar to the fire example above. Would you actually make the connection between a fire drill and a fire opal? Connections may be one of the word puzzles that stump you since it gets difficult. yet you'll keep returning for more!

Don't hit submit too soon.

To play, select your first set of four words, then press the "Submit" button. Don't worry, you can change your mind and delete your selections if you have an epiphany, but once you submit, that's it.

When you properly submit a group, it will show up above the game in its own colored category, along with the words that belong with it. Your list will also no longer contain such terms. You will guess and submit each category in the same manner, except when you guess poorly, a gray circle in the "Mistakes Remaining" area (below the board) will turn white or vanish. If your guess is one word off, a helpful sign flashing "One Word Off" above the board will let you know you're near. You won't get a clue if you guess more than one word incorrectly.

Avoid making too many errors.

After you properly identify the four word groupings, you have won the game. But if you make four errors, you'll lose the game, exactly as when you run out of guesses in Wordle.

Can you play Connections more than once each day?

Nope. Similar to Wordle, which the New York Times purchased in 2022, Connections has a daily play limit of just one. After you win a game, you'll get a familiar message with colored squares, the option to post about your achievement online, and a countdown until the release of the following Connections puzzle at midnight. Click "Share Your Results" if you'd like to brag (or bemoan) on Twitter, Threads, Facebook, or any other preferred social media platform.

Connections successful strategies

Use these suggestions to improve your chances of success at Connections.

Identify the more obvious matches first. Finding more connections becomes much simpler as a result.

Save the terms you're having trouble with until last.

Before you guess, look up any unfamiliar words.

Use the "Shuffle" button. You could notice a match if you rearrange the words on the board. There doesn't seem to be a limit to how many times you can shuffle.

When you make a mistake, pay close heed to the hints you receive. "One word off" should make it simpler to identify the error.

Before you begin grouping words, try to come up with groups based on the word tiles.

Don't be scared to make a mistake. It can genuinely assist you determine which word tile fits and confirm your assumption. If not, you'll know to turn around and head in a different route.

Believe us—addicting! it's Nevertheless, since you can only play once every day, you'll need some other games to pass the time, like these printable crossword puzzles. They'll also assist you in improving your word power.