Connections Game

Everything you need to know about The New York Times Connections puzzle game.

Need Help with Today's Puzzle?

Get progressive hints without spoiling the entire solution.

Get Today's Hints

What is the Connections Game?

Connections is a viral word puzzle game published by The New York Times. Every day, players are presented with a 4×4 grid of 16 words and must find four groups of four words that share a common thread.

The game was created by Wyna Liu and launched in June 2023. It quickly became one of the most popular word games online, rivaling Wordle in daily engagement.

What makes Connections special is the variety of connections - they can be straightforward (like "Types of bread") or tricky wordplay (like "Words that can follow 'FIRE'").

How to Play Connections

1

Study the 16 words

Read through all the words before making guesses

2

Find obvious groups

Start with words that clearly belong together

3

Select four words

Tap four words you think share a connection

4

Submit your guess

Confirm your selection to see if it's correct

5

Use your mistakes wisely

You only get four wrong guesses

Connections Game Difficulty

Each category is color-coded by how difficult it is to identify:

yellow
Easiest - straightforward categories
green
Easy - slightly trickier connections
blue
Medium - requires specific knowledge
purple
Hardest - wordplay and obscure references

Connections Game FAQ

What is the Connections game?

Connections is a daily word puzzle game from The New York Times where players group 16 words into four categories of four words each based on hidden connections.

How do you play the Connections game?

Look at 16 words and find four groups of four that share something in common. Select four words and submit. You get four mistakes before the game ends.

Is the Connections game free?

Yes, the Connections game is completely free to play on the NYT Games website. No subscription required.

When does a new Connections game come out?

A new Connections puzzle is released every day at midnight Eastern Time.

Who created the Connections game?

Connections was created by Wyna Liu, an associate puzzle editor at The New York Times. It launched in June 2023.

Today's HintsTips & StrategiesColors Explained