To solve NYT Connections without hints, read all 16 words before guessing, describe the exact rule linking any four candidates, and test that group against words that could also fit. The puzzle is designed to include overlaps: the New York Times Help Center says each board has one solution and words may seem to fit multiple categories. Treat a plausible set as a hypothesis, not an automatic submission.
Know what you are solving
Each Connections board contains 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four, with one solution for the puzzle. The categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is easiest and purple is trickiest. The colors indicate difficulty, not a required solving order. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in your timezone. The New York Times Help Center describes the intended ambiguity this way: “Each puzzle has exactly one solution and is meant to be tricky by having words that could fit into multiple categories.” NYT Connections help.
A no-hint routine for each board
1. Scan all 16 words before submitting
Read the entire grid first. Make a quick mental or written note of possible relationships, but do not commit to the first four words that seem connected. Seeing the whole board makes it easier to notice a competing interpretation or an extra word that fits the same broad theme.
2. State the rule in one sentence
For each candidate set, explain what all four words have in common as precisely as you can. “They are all related to music” may be too broad; a narrower relationship that accounts for every word is stronger. Then check whether any of the four has a more convincing role in another pattern.
3. Investigate apparent groups of five
If five words seem to fit one theme, do not force all five into the same category. Look for the four that share the tighter rule and ask what distinguishes the remaining word. The apparent fifth match may be a decoy, or the set may be relying on a less familiar meaning or a word pattern.
4. Check meanings and word structure
Start with literal possibilities such as synonyms, shared kinds of things, or words associated with the same subject. If those do not explain the board, inspect how the words are built or used. A group may involve a shared prefix or suffix, words that come before or after the same word, a hidden word, homophones, or anagrams. Purple categories are often less literal, but the color alone does not tell you which wordplay mechanic to expect.
Rank #2
5. Submit the best-supported group, then reassess
Choose the set with the clearest rule and fewest competing explanations, not simply the category that looks easiest. When a correct group disappears, examine the remaining grid again: removing four words can make a previously obscured relationship easier to see.
6. Use elimination and a shuffle when you are stuck
Whenever possible, solve a well-supported group before spending another guess on a vague one. If the tile arrangement has started to anchor your attention, shuffle the words to break that visual pattern and reconsider the remaining candidates. These are practical strategy suggestions, not official NYT rules.
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How to handle common traps
- The obvious category: A familiar theme may fit more than four words. Look for the narrower rule that selects exactly four.
- The overlap word: A word can plausibly belong to multiple themes. Compare what each candidate group requires, rather than relying only on its most familiar meaning.
- The leftover four: If the remaining words do not form an obvious subject category, test shared-word patterns and other forms of wordplay before assuming the board has no coherent connection.
- The color order: Difficulty colors do not force you to solve yellow first or purple last. Work from the strongest explanation and let elimination do the rest.
What published results can—and cannot—tell you
A 2024 study by Angel Yahir Loredo Lopez, Tyler McDonald, and Ali Emami describes a dataset of 358 Connections-derived puzzles. In an experiment evaluating 100 puzzles, human participants scored 56% in the no-hints condition, while the best tested model, GPT-4, scored 45%; human performance in the full-hints condition was 60.67%. These are results under that study’s conditions, not a prediction of how any individual will do or a measure of every puzzle. Read the 2024 study.
NYT Game Solver reports that its analysis of 1,191 past puzzles found about seven in ten purple categories involved wordplay, with fill-in-the-blank the most common type. That is a secondary-source analysis rather than an official NYT statistic, so it is best treated as a reason to check for wordplay—not as a rule about the next board. NYT Game Solver’s strategy guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play and practice
The daily game is available through NYT Games platforms. The official help page says the archive reaches back to June 12, 2023 and is available to All Access and Games subscribers; check the NYT Help Center for current access details, which can change.
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