Launched in June 2023, Connections is a daily puzzle game offered by The New York Times that has garnered a large following of dedicated players. The puzzle consists of 16 words divided into four categories: yellow, green, blue, and purple. Players must determine the common thread between each group of words within the categories. For example, a category could be describing measuring instruments, with answers such as compass, ruler, scale, and watch. Words may overlap between categories, adding an extra layer of challenge, but each group must contain four unique words with no repeats. The difficulty of the groups increases from yellow to green, blue, and finally purple.
The game’s editor, Wyna Liu, notes that the difficulty of the categories can vary each day, with some focused on wordplay elements like palindromes, homophones, or word manipulation rather than literal meanings. Players must carefully select the correct common thread for each group of words, as there is only one correct answer. Correctly placing all four words in a set will remove them from the board, while each incorrect guess adds to the mistake tally. Players are allowed up to four mistakes before the game ends without additional chances. The option to shuffle the board is available to players, which can aid in making the puzzle more manageable.
Each day’s puzzle provides new challenges for players to solve, with unique categories and word groupings. An example puzzle for Saturday, April 13 featured categories such as words associated with traveling performance groups, characters from a famous 1930s film, film production departments, and lyrics from a 1970s song by The Steve Miller Band. The answers for that puzzle included words like clown, ring, tent, and trapeze for the yellow category, lion, scarecrow, witch, and wizard for the green category, and words like hair, makeup, props, and wardrobe for the blue category.
Connections aims to challenge conventional wisdom and help players find connections in the search for common ground. The game encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills by requiring players to identify the common thread between seemingly unrelated words in each category. With its growing fan base and daily puzzles that offer a range of difficulty levels, Connections continues to provide a fun and engaging brain teaser experience for players looking to sharpen their minds and test their knowledge.
