The New York Times’ Connections puzzle looks simple at first: group 16 words into four neat categories of four. But if you’ve ever burned through your mistakes chasing the wrong grouping, you know it can be maddening. Whether you’re aiming to preserve your streak or just want to sharpen your puzzle-solving skills, this guide will walk you through proven strategies, common pitfalls, and editor insights to help you crack Connections consistently.
What Is NYT Connections?
Launched in June 2023, Connections is one of the New York Times’ newest puzzle hits, second only to Wordle in popularity. Each day, you’re presented with 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four, based on a common theme.
The categories are color-coded by difficulty:
🟨 Yellow: the most straightforward
🟩 Green: moderately tricky
🟦 Blue: abstract or less familiar
🟪 Purple: the hardest, often involving wordplay or cultural references
You get four mistakes allowed before the game ends.
👉 Stuck? Use our Connections Clues, Hints and Answers page to get a nudge without spoiling the fun.
Top Tips and Strategies for Solving NYT Connections
1. Scan for the Obvious Ones First
Start with obvious, tight-knit categories—colors, months, numbers, animals, sports teams, or programming languages. These are usually the easiest to lock down and give you momentum.
Example: Banana, Apple, Orange, Grape → Fruits (likely Yellow).
2. Think About Word Placement
Connections often leans on idioms or fill-in-the-blank phrases. Try inserting words into common structures:
Cold ___ → Cold Brew, Cold Case, Cold Feet, Cold War
___ Board → Skateboard, Scoreboard, Blackboard, Wakeboard
This technique unlocks many mid-level categories (Green/Blue).
3. Hunt for Themes Across Disciplines
Categories aren’t confined to vocabulary, they often span pop culture, science, nature, and everyday speech.
- Pop culture: Bands, TV shows, celebrities (e.g., Pink, Blue, Queen, Beatles)
- Science/tech: Programming languages, planets, elements
- Nature: Birds, flowers, trees, animals
Train your brain to think broadly—Connections loves cross-disciplinary references.
4. Look for Red Herrings
Editors deliberately plant traps. Watch out for:
- Too many of the same type:
- For e.g. mnultiple snakes (Cobra, Python, Boa, Viper, Sidewinder) these are all types of snakes, but all of them have another meaning and could belong in a different category. Can you think of what that couldbe?
- Overlaps: Mars could be in “Planets” or “Candy Bars.”
- If you see more than four words fitting a category, chances are it’s a setup.
5. Cross-Check Before Submitting
Before locking in a group, ask: “If I take these four out, does it make the leftovers easier to solve?” The best groupings clarify what remains. Weak guesses often make the rest look harder.
6. Save Your Strikes
Don’t rush. If you’re torn between two groupings, work on something else first. Clearing one category often reveals the correct placement for others.
7. Use One-Meaning Words as Anchors
Words with a single, specific meaning (GIRAFFE, OBOE) are easier to anchor. Group around them first.
8. Consider Multiple Meanings
Common words often hide double lives. Turkey can be a bird or a country; Bass can be a fish or a musical term. Try reinterpreting tricky words.
9. Use the “One Away” Hint Wisely
If the game says you’re “one away,” don’t just swap in another guess. Cancel the group and re-evaluate. This avoids wasting strikes on near-misses.
10. Get It on Paper
If you’re stuck, jot possible groups on paper. Even half-formed sets of two or three words can spark insight.
Pitfalls to Avoid
⚠️ Tunnel Vision: Don’t force words into one category (e.g., assuming everything’s an “animal”) when it may be idioms or phrases.
⚠️ Going Too Literal: Always ask if a word might be part of a phrase instead of a standalone meaning.
⚠️ Overlooking Trick Words: Short, common words like head, cold, gold, paper often hide in idioms.
⚠️ Mixing Difficulty Levels: NYT deliberately orders categories from easiest to hardest. Don’t waste time forcing a purple-level obscure set early.
Understanding Difficulty:
🟨 Yellow (Easy): Direct connections (colors, fruits, months).
🟩 Green (Medium): Broader categories (sports teams, movie genres).
🟦 Blue (Tricky): Abstract or less common (suffixes, Shakespeare plays).
🟪 Purple (Hardest): Wordplay—anagrams, homophones, idioms, or cultural references.
Extra Pro Tips from the Editors
According to the NYT’s official tips (How to Line Up a Great Connections Solve), successful solvers:
- Start with simple, undeniable sets
- Think about alternate uses of words
- Look for patterns in endings/suffixes
- Stay flexible and expect misdirection
Puzzle editor Wyna Liu is famous for mixing categories that overlap—so if you’re stuck, assume she’s trying to trick you.
FAQs
How many mistakes can you make in Connections?
- Four. After your fourth wrong guess, the puzzle ends.
What’s the best first step?
- Scan for obvious, tight categories like colors, numbers, or animals.
Why is the purple group always so hard?
- Purple is designed for wordplay and misdirection—expect idioms, homophones, or cultural references.
Who makes the NYT Connections puzzles?
- Connections is edited and constructed by Wyna Liu, puzzle editor at The New York Times.
Some related links and tools you might find useful:
- Connections Clues, Hints and Answers → Need help with today’s board? Try our Connections Clues, updated daily. Need help with an archive puzzle? View the answers here.
- The Story of New York Times Connections Game: Origins, Evolution & Editor → Curious about where Connections came from? Read our history of the game.
- Wordle Solver → Stuck on today’s Wordle? We’ve built the perfect tool to help you.
Conclusion
NYT Connections is equal parts logic, lateral thinking, and playful misdirection. To solve it consistently:
- Start with the easy sets,
- Watch for red herrings,
- Think beyond literal meanings,
- And save your strikes for when you’re confident.
Most importantly? Have fun with the surprises. The frustration of “one away” makes the eventual “aha!” all the sweeter.
👉 Ready to put these strategies to the test? Play today’s NYT Connection’s puzzle and use our Connections Clues, Hints and Answers if you need a boost.