Connections is a popular puzzle game featured in The New York Times since June 2023, quickly gaining a large following among players. The game challenges players to group words based on subtle links, requiring a combination of logic and language skills. Edited by Wyna Liu, one of her tips for playing the game is to remain patient and avoid rushing to input answers, a practice she refers to as “rage solving.”
To play Connections, players are presented with a table of 16 words, divided into four groups of four based on common characteristics and placed into categories ranging from yellow (easiest) to purple (trickiest). For example, a recent game featured words like “braid,” “bun,” “pony,” and “twist” under the category “Ways to wear your hair up,” categorized as blue. Players must select four words and submit their choices, with correct answers appearing in the category color and disappearing from the grid, while incorrect answers remain gray and on the board. The “Shuffle” button can be used when stuck to rearrange the words on the grid.
In order to provide assistance to players, Newsweek offers hints for each day’s Connections game categories. For example, recent clues included categories such as “Things that have a texture that feels frizzy or velvety,” “Things that have hard casings,” “Characters from the animated movies about an ogre that lives near a swamp,” and “Words that come after ‘magic.'” The answers for the day’s puzzle categories are revealed at the bottom of the page for players to check their guesses.
The Connections editor, Wyna Liu, frequently shares tips for playing and solving the game to help players improve their skills and enjoy the experience. Each day, Newsweek provides hints and clues for the Connections puzzle, allowing players to test their logic and language abilities. The game is released at midnight in the player’s local time zone, offering a new challenge every day for enthusiasts to engage with.
In addition to Connections, players can also enjoy other popular games like Wordle, for which Newsweek also provides daily hints and tips. These puzzle games offer a fun and engaging way to challenge oneself and exercise one’s mind while enjoying the satisfaction of solving clever word puzzles. With the help of hints and clues provided by Newsweek, players can enhance their gameplay experience and work towards improving their skills in solving these challenging puzzles.