The New York Times introduced the Connections puzzle in 2023, following the success of Wordle. This new game has quickly become a favorite among puzzle enthusiasts, who enjoy sharing their progress and strategies on social media. Connections presents players with a grid of 16 words, and the goal is to group them into four sets of four based on common themes or characteristics. The groups are color-coded by difficulty level, ranging from yellow (easiest) to purple (hardest). Players have up to four incorrect guesses before the game ends, with no time limit to complete the puzzle.
To play Connections effectively, editor Wyna Liu advises players to consider shuffling the board if they’re stuck, as a fresh perspective can help spot connections more easily. If there are five words that could fit into a category, it may be best to try categorizing a different group first. This process of elimination can help identify where the words truly belong. Newsweek provides daily hints and solutions for the Connections puzzle to assist players in identifying the categories. For example, the clues for Connections #428 on August 12 included categories such as metal elements, mattress sizes, slang for toilet, and kinds of knives.
The answers for Connections #428 on August 12 revealed the following categories and words: Yellow Category – Metal Elements (Gold, Lead, Mercury, Tin), Green Category – Mattress Sizes (Full, King, Queen, Twin), Blue Category – Slang For Toilet (Can, Head, John, Throne), and Purple Category – Kinds Of Knives (Bowie, Butcher, Butter, Butterfly). Players who successfully solve the puzzle are encouraged to continue sharpening their skills with each new daily challenge. The next Connections puzzle from the New York Times will be available on Tuesday at midnight in the player’s local time zone. Newsweek will continue to provide tips and solutions to assist players in mastering the Connections puzzle. Happy puzzling!
