Happy Monday, fellow puzzlers! Hope you had a delightful weekend filled with relaxation and maybe a puzzle or two on the side. Speaking of puzzles, today's "Connections" challenge is ready to tickle your brain cells and get those gears turning.
As I was out on a brisk morning stroll with my furry friend earlier, she decided to give me a little heart-pounding exercise by escaping her leash for a brief but thrilling squirrel chase. Dodging through mud puddles in the park, I couldn't help but think of how solving today's puzzle is like navigating through different color tiers – each one leading you closer to that "aha" moment at the end.
Remember, when you're tackling the puzzle, keep an eye out for those sneaky decoys and scan for loose synonyms to make those connections pop. And here's a little riddle for you: What do puzzles and squirrels have in common? They both require a sharp eye and a clever mind to crack their mysteries.
So, grab a warm drink, settle in, and let's dive into today's "Connections" puzzle together. If you need hints or just want to share your progress, don't hesitate to jump in. Let's make this Monday a puzzlingly good one!
How to Play NYT Connections
Overview
Connections is a daily word puzzle game from The New York Times. The goal is to find groups of four words that share something in common. You’re presented with 16 words arranged in a 4×4 grid, and you must identify four groups of four related words.
Basic Rules
- You have 16 words total, arranged in a 4×4 grid
- There are exactly 4 groups of 4 related words each
- Each word belongs to exactly one group
- You must find all four groups to complete the puzzle
- You have 4 mistakes allowed before the game ends
How to Play
- Look at all 16 words and try to identify patterns or connections
- Select 4 words you think belong together by clicking/tapping them
- Click “Submit” to check if your group is correct
- If correct, those 4 words will be removed and grouped together
- If incorrect, you lose one of your 4 allowed mistakes
- Continue until you find all 4 groups or run out of mistakes
Difficulty Levels
The four groups are color-coded by difficulty:
- 🟨 YELLOW: Easiest – usually straightforward categories
- 🟩 GREEN: Easy-Medium – slightly more complex connections
- 🟦 BLUE: Medium-Hard – trickier associations or wordplay
- 🟪 PURPLE: Hardest – often involves puns, multiple meanings, or very subtle connections
Strategy Tips
- Start with the most obvious connections first
- Be careful of red herrings – words that seem to fit multiple categories
- If you’re unsure, try to eliminate what doesn’t belong first
- The purple group often involves wordplay, homophones, or very creative connections
- Don’t guess randomly – you only have 4 mistakes
Scoring
- Complete the puzzle to see your results
- Mistakes are tracked but don’t affect your final score
- Share your results with friends using the share button
- Results show how many mistakes you made for each group