New York Times’ Connections Game Tests Word Skills Daily

NEW YORK, NY — The New York Times has drawn attention with its latest word game, Connections, launched to engage fans of puzzles and word challenges. Every day at midnight, participants are presented with a new puzzle featuring a grid of 16 words that must be arranged into four groups of four, based on shared characteristics.

Connections tasks players with identifying common themes among the provided words, which could include book titles, software names, or geographic locations. However, only one correct grouping exists for each puzzle, adding a layer of complexity. Players can make up to four guesses, with an incorrect guess counting as a mistake. If too many mistakes are made, the game concludes.

“Connections brings a fresh challenge that encourages players to think critically about word relationships,” said Wyna Liu, associate puzzle editor for The Times, who helped develop the game.

The game, designed for both web and mobile platforms, colors its groups for easier identification: yellow for the simplest clues, followed by green, blue, and the more complex purple group. Each challenge becomes progressively more intricate, replicating the addictive nature of similar games like Wordle.

For those seeking assistance, hints related to daily themes are provided. Players discovered that today’s puzzle included categories relevant to all types of enthusiasts: literature lovers, New Yorkers, and poker fans.

“Participating in word games like this allows not just for fun, but also for honing one’s vocabulary skills. It’s engaging for everyone,” noted Cooper, a writer and avid puzzle solver.

The recent strategy for today’s puzzle revealed categories that the player described as ‘subjective’, ‘signal down, as a taxi’, ‘cards in Texas Hold ‘Em’, and ‘Shakespearean words’. Each category contained specific clues that required knowledge or inference to resolve.

Today’s completed Connections puzzle produced solutions that included angle, bias, slant, and spin for the subjective category; flag, hail, wave, and whistle for the taxi category; flop, hole, river, and turn for the poker category; and anon, art, thou, and wilt for the Shakespearean words. The player expressed that the knowledge of Texas Hold ‘Em significantly aided in solving that category.

Participants have shared their results widely on social media each day, fueling community engagement and competition among friends and family.

As new puzzles unfold, Liu and her team continue to provide assistance through hints and solutions, keeping the wordplay environment vibrant and accessible for enthusiasts and novices alike.