“Connections” is a popular word game developed by Wyna Liu, the crossword editor for The New York Times. Since its launch in June 2023, the game has gained massive success and is the newspaper’s second most-played word puzzle behind Wordle. Liu reflected on the unexpected success of the game in an interview with Newsweek, expressing excitement that something she cares deeply about is resonating with people.
Players of “Connections” are given a set of 16 words and must group them into four categories of four words each based on similar characteristics or themes. The categories are color-coded based on difficulty, with purple being the hardest and yellow being the easiest. For example, in one puzzle, a category was “PBS shows,” and the words associated with it were “Frontline,” “Masterpiece,” “Nature,” and “Nova.” Players have four guesses to get the correct groupings and can click the “Shuffle” button for assistance if needed.
In the Friday puzzle shared by Newsweek, the clues provided were for four categories: yellow for terms related to assuming something to be true without evidence, green for a specific type of person, blue for terms associated with a popular Harrison Ford film, and purple for words linked to a particular pet. The answers for this puzzle included words like “Imagine,” “Character,” “Solo,” and “Cat.” Players who are unable to solve a particular puzzle are encouraged to try again with a new one available on the following day.
The game is accessible to players globally, with new puzzles released at midnight in their local time zone. Newsweek offers helpful hints and clues to assist players in solving the puzzles. In addition to “Connections,” players can also try other word puzzles like Spellspire and Words with Friends for additional challenges and entertainment. The game has gained a dedicated following and continues to engage players with its fun and challenging word puzzles.
Overall, “Connections” has become a beloved word game for players looking to challenge their minds and have fun with words. The game’s success has been unexpected but exciting for its developer, Wyna Liu, who is thrilled to see the game resonate with a global audience. With new puzzles released regularly and helpful hints provided by sources like Newsweek, players can continue to enjoy the game and test their word-solving skills.
