Connections players are challenged to uncover threads connecting a series of words in order to group them into four categories based on shared themes or characteristics. The game presents a grid of 16 words, color-coded by difficulty, ranging from yellow (easiest) to purple (most challenging). Players have up to four chances to guess incorrectly before the game ends, with no time constraint. Words can be shuffled on the board to help spot connections that may have been missed initially, and there is no rush to make guesses.
The familiarity of the words used and how often they appear in modern life are factors that determine difficulty, with less-common words not only featured in the harder categories. “Item overlap,” where one word can be linked to multiple categories, is another aspect of the challenge in Connections. The game was launched by The New York Times in June 2023 and has become the newspaper’s second-most played game behind Wordle, another word-based puzzle. Players are encouraged to wait as long as they can before guessing in order to conquer the game successfully.
Connections developer and NYT crossword editor Wyna Liu shared insights with Newsweek on how she creates the games, revealing that she often starts with inspiration and doesn’t know where a board is going to go. Liu emphasized that it takes time to experiment with different angles and approaches in order to build the puzzles effectively. Today’s puzzle, #570, features hints for the yellow, green, blue, and purple categories. For example, the yellow category involves different creatures that all have one thing in common, while the green category features various things that glow. The blue category focuses on objects that represent a European country, and the purple category includes words that end with synonyms for “plunge.”
The answers for today’s puzzle, listed by category, include words like earthworm, eels, salamander, and slug for the yellow category of slimy animals, and aurora, firefly, glowstick, and radium for the green category of luminescent things. In the blue category of Dutch symbols, canal, clog, tulip, and windmill are the given words, while gatecrash, raindrop, skydive, and waterfall represent the purple category ending with synonyms for plunge. Players who correctly guess the answers can move on to the next puzzle, while those who need help can find hints and tips from Newsweek for each new game released at midnight in their local time zone.
Overall, Connections is a popular brainteaser that challenges players to think critically and make connections between words based on shared themes or characteristics. The game offers different levels of difficulty and encourages players to take their time before making guesses. With hints and tips provided by Newsweek for each new puzzle, players can enhance their strategy and improve their chances of solving the challenges successfully.
