NYT Connections gives you 16 words to sort into four groups of four, with each group linked by a shared theme. The colors indicate category difficulty, while the documented statistics track mistakes and outcomes—not a published points total.
How to play NYT Connections
- Look over all 16 words. Search for words that share a clear connection, such as four kinds of fish or words that begin with “FIRE.”
- Choose four words you think belong together and submit the group. The goal is to find all four intended sets.
- Keep checking the remaining words. Some words may seem to fit more than one theme, so consider competing interpretations before committing to a set.
The New York Times says each puzzle has exactly one solution and is designed to be tricky because words can appear to fit multiple categories. The Connections Help Center describes the objective and gives examples of shared-word connections.
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What the Connections colors mean
Each group is assigned one of four colors. The colors indicate relative difficulty; the official Help Center identifies yellow as the easiest category and purple as the trickiest. It does not establish a fixed type of connection for the green or blue groups.
| Color | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Yellow | Easiest category |
| Green | Category color; no specific difficulty ranking or theme type stated in the Help Center |
| Blue | Category color; no specific difficulty ranking or theme type stated in the Help Center |
| Purple | Trickiest category |
Color is a difficulty clue, not a definition of the connection: identify the shared theme from the words themselves.
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How Connections scoring works
The official Help Center documents mistake-based statistics rather than a numeric points formula. It defines win rate as the percentage of puzzles completed in under four mistakes; a puzzle solved with zero mistakes counts as a “Perfect Puzzle.” The statistics also include puzzles completed, current and maximum streaks, and a mistake histogram.
Connections Bot ratings are also not points. For eligible subscribers, the Bot offers post-game analysis such as difficulty comparisons, skill and solution-uniqueness ratings, category difficulty and solve order, common mistakes, and guess-by-guess analysis. The Help Center does not provide a points conversion for those ratings. See the official Connections Help Center for its feature details.
When and where to play
The daily puzzle releases at midnight in your timezone. The Help Center lists the Games app, the Connections page, NYTimes.com/theathletic, and the News app as places to play. It says the game is free on those listed platforms without registration; signing in with an NYT account is recommended if you want to retain progress across devices and platforms. Check the Help Center for current access details.
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Optional archive and post-game features
- Connections archive: The Help Center says the archive includes puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023, and is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Archive play affects some listed statistics, but not current or maximum streaks. Subscription names and access terms can change; check the current Help Center listing.
- Connections Bot: Available to All Access, Home Delivery, and Games subscribers according to the Help Center. It provides post-game analysis rather than a points score.
- Sports Edition: The Help Center says its Connections edition follows the same rules as the standard daily puzzle.
The Help Center also says results can be shared after the last guess is submitted. Consult the official page for current feature availability.
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