The New York Times has launched a new puzzle game called Connections, which has quickly become the news outlet’s second-most played game after the popular Wordle. Unlike Wordle, which requires players to guess one word a day, Connections challenges players to find common themes between a series of words and group them into categories. The game can be played on web browsers and mobile devices, and players must correctly group words within four categories to progress and remove words from the board.
Each Connections puzzle consists of 16 words separated into four categories, with themes covering a broad range of topics. Players must correctly group words in each set to progress in the game, and can make up to four mistakes before the game ends. To assist players in finding connections, they have the option to shuffle and rearrange the board. The difficulty of each group is indicated by a color-coding system, with yellow being the easiest and purple the most challenging. Players must strategize and think critically to connect the words and progress to the next level.
Editor Wyna Liu advises players to pivot to a different category if they notice five or more words that belong to the same category, as this can help eliminate options and make it easier to identify connections in other categories. Some words may belong to multiple categories, adding an additional layer of complexity to the game. Newsweek provides hints and answers for each day’s puzzle, encouraging players to think outside the box and challenge their critical thinking skills.
For example, in a recent puzzle, words associated with “Old World sophistication,” “vacationing in a warm destination,” “appealing to a person’s feelings,” and “numbers with first letters replaced by ‘S'” were provided as categories. Players had to group words like elegance, grace, style, and taste into the category of “refined sensibility,” and bake, bask, sun, and tan into “catch some rays.” By correctly identifying the connections between the words, players can progress through the game and test their ability to think critically and creatively.
Connections is released daily at midnight in each player’s local time zone, providing a new challenge for players every day. Newsweek offers hints and tips to help players solve each puzzle and improve their skills. The game not only challenges players to think outside the box and make connections between words, but also encourages them to challenge conventional wisdom and find common ground in the search for solutions. Players of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy the mental challenge and creative thinking required to play Connections.
