NYT Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to sort them into four groups of four. Each group shares a connection, but some words can appear to fit more than one theme. The challenge is to find the puzzle’s intended four groups—not simply four combinations that seem plausible.
How to play NYT Connections
- Look over all 16 words on the board.
- Find four words linked by a shared theme, such as kinds of fish or words that complete the same phrase.
- Select the four words and submit your guess.
- Continue until you have identified all four groups.
The New York Times Help Center says each puzzle has exactly one solution. Its editors curate the words and categories using Oxford Dictionary. NYT Connections rules and features.
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What the four colors mean
Each solved group is marked with one of four colors. The official help page identifies yellow as the easiest group and purple as the trickiest. Those labels indicate difficulty; they do not define fixed category types. The source does not say, for example, that yellow always contains synonyms or purple always involves wordplay.
Why a plausible group can be wrong
Connections is deliberately built around overlap: a word may seem to belong to more than one category, while only one complete arrangement is intended. A set of four can have a convincing link and still be the wrong set if it conflicts with the puzzle’s other groups.
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The NYT’s examples illustrate the range of connections: a literal category such as kinds of fish, or words that can each precede FIRE to complete a phrase. Research on the game describes its harder puzzles as sometimes relying on uncommon word senses or on words used as parts of larger phrases. A 2024 paper characterizes solving as requiring common linguistic knowledge and often lateral or abstract thinking. Todd, Merino, Earle, and Togelius, “Missed Connections” (2024).
A practical way to test a guess
- For an ambiguous word, consider alternate meanings and phrases it might complete.
- Ask whether your proposed four-word set leaves the other 12 words capable of forming three coherent groups.
- Be cautious about submitting a group that depends on one weak or unusually stretched connection.
These are solving strategies, not extra official rules: they follow from the game’s stated design, in which apparent overlaps can mislead but the complete solution is unique.
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How many mistakes can you make?
The NYT Help Center’s statistics section tracks puzzles completed “in under 4 mistakes,” perfect puzzles with zero mistakes, and a histogram covering zero to four mistakes. It also notes that a puzzle can end when no guesses remain. The accessible help text does not spell out the full termination rule in a direct how-to-play instruction.
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A 2024 research paper describes Connections as allowing four attempts, but that is a secondary description rather than the official live interface. Because the official help page does not state the complete rule directly, check the current game instructions for exactly how incorrect submissions affect the remaining allowance. The 2024 paper.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where and when to play
According to the NYT Help Center, Connections is free to play on all platforms and does not currently require registration or sign-in. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in your timezone. The listed access points include the Games app, NYTimes.com Games, NYTimes.com/The Athletic, and the News app. Signing in is recommended if you want progress retained across devices. These availability details can change; consult the current Help Center page for the latest information.
The same page says Connections: Sports Edition is a sports-focused version brought to solvers by The Athletic and uses the same rules. It also lists Connections Bot and the archive as subscriber features: Bot access is for All Access, Home Delivery, and Games subscribers, while the archive, which reaches back to June 12, 2023, is available to All Access and Games subscribers. Playing an archived puzzle changes some statistics but not streaks.
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