Connections is a puzzle game featured in the New York Times that challenges players to group 16 words into four related groups. The connections between the words may not always be obvious, making it a brain-teasing challenge. The game editor strategically includes words that can fit into multiple groups, adding an element of trickery to the game. In addition to Connections, players can also find answers to the popular Wordle game and other puzzles such as Strands. Today’s hints for Connections include groupings related to basketball shots, swimming critters, words in shampoo ads, and words preceding a word for kid.
The answers for today’s Connections groups include basketball shots for the yellow group, fish for the green group, qualities of thick hair for the blue group, and words preceding a word for kid for the purple group. The themed answers for each group are dunk, floater, layup, three for basketball shots, perch, pike, skate, sole for fish, body, bounce, lift, volume for qualities of thick hair, and flower, only, poster, problem for words preceding a word for kid. The game challenges players to think creatively and make connections between seemingly unrelated words to form coherent groups.
Playing Connections is straightforward, as players are tasked with mentally assigning the 16 words into related groups of four. By clicking on the words they believe belong together, players can work towards completing the puzzle. The groups are color-coded, with yellow being the easiest and purple being the toughest. This game requires players to carefully consider the words and think about potential connections, even if they are obscure or relate to only a part of the word. For example, in one instance, four words were grouped together because each started with the name of a rock band.
In addition to Connections, players can also engage in other puzzle games such as Wordle and Strands, which offer different challenges and themes. Wordle is described as more of a vocabulary test, while Connections is seen as a brainteaser that requires creative thinking and lateral connections. The game editor is skilled at incorporating words that can fit into multiple groups, making it challenging for players to discern the correct connections. By providing hints and answers for each day’s puzzle, players can test their skills and see how they fare in completing the challenge. Overall, these puzzle games offer a fun and engaging way to test one’s thinking abilities and linguistic skills.
