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NYT Connections: Hints & Answers
Connections is a unique word puzzle game from the New York Times that combines vocabulary knowledge with lateral thinking. Players are given a grid of 16 words and must find four groups of four connected words.
How Connections Works
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16 words are presented.
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Your task is to identify four distinct groups of four words each.
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Words in a group share a meaningful connection — it could be a category, theme, or a shared characteristic.
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Groups can be based on synonyms, parts of speech, or cultural references.
Effective Strategies and Hints
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Scan for Obvious Categories: Immediately look for words that obviously belong together — such as colors, animals, or countries.
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Identify Patterns: Consider whether words are related by function (verbs, nouns), meaning (synonyms/antonyms), or context (sports, music).
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Use Process of Elimination: Once a group is found, eliminate those words mentally or physically to focus on the remaining ones.
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Don’t Overthink Initially: Start with straightforward connections and then move to subtle ones.
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Look for Word Roots: Some words may share a root or prefix that hints at their grouping.
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Keep Cultural and Common Knowledge in Mind: Sometimes connections involve pop culture or idiomatic expressions.
Example of Common Connection Groups
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Colors: red, blue, green, yellow
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Animals: tiger, lion, bear, wolf
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Days of the Week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
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Musical Instruments: guitar, piano, violin, drums
How to Approach Difficult Words
Some puzzles include ambiguous or abstract words. In these cases:
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Consider multiple meanings.
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Try to group based on usage or category (e.g., cooking terms, types of flowers).
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Think about common phrases or idioms involving the words.
Hints for Answering
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Use elimination after finding each group.
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Consider that words might belong to more than one potential group but only fit perfectly in one.
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Look at the length and complexity of the words to identify patterns.
SEE HINTS AND ANSWER - NYT Connections Hints & Answers
SEE HINTS AND ANSWER - NYT Connections Hints & Answers
Progression and Difficulty
Connections puzzles increase in difficulty with more subtle or overlapping word groups. As you improve, you’ll notice that the game encourages flexible thinking beyond straightforward word categories.
Answer Examples
While the exact daily answers change, groups often include:
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Sets of synonyms (e.g., “happy,” “joyful,” “glad,” “cheerful”)
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Related objects (e.g., “fork,” “knife,” “spoon,” “plate”)
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Geographic groupings (e.g., “Amazon,” “Nile,” “Yangtze,” “Mississippi”)
Final Thought
Connections is a cerebral and rewarding puzzle for those who enjoy vocabulary and pattern recognition. Using both common knowledge and creative thinking is essential to solving the daily challenge.
