NYT Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four, with each group linked by a shared connection. The trick is not simply spotting words that seem related: the puzzle is designed to include tempting overlaps, so the strongest approach is to test every candidate group against the whole grid before submitting it.
What are the rules of NYT Connections?
Each daily puzzle presents 16 words. Divide them into exactly four groups of four, with each group sharing a connection. The New York Times Help Center says every puzzle has exactly one solution and is deliberately tricky because words may fit more than one category. Editors curate the words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary. Source: The New York Times Help Center, “Connections.”
When you solve a group, it is assigned one of four colors: Yellow, Green, Blue, or Purple. The colors indicate difficulty, from Yellow as easiest to Purple as trickiest. They do not, according to the Help Center, guarantee a particular kind of connection; for example, do not assume every Purple group uses wordplay.
Where and when can you play?
The daily game is free to play without registering or signing in, and a new puzzle is released at midnight in your timezone. The Help Center lists NYTimes.com, NYTimes.com/theathletic, the Games app, and the News app as places to play. Signing into an NYT account can carry progress across platforms. Availability and access details can change, so consult the current Connections Help Center page for the latest terms.
Daily puzzle and archive
The Help Center describes archived Connections puzzles as a feature for All Access and Games subscribers. Its current information says the archive goes back to June 12, 2023; archived play affects some statistics but not current or maximum streaks, and a completed archived puzzle cannot be replayed. These are current service details rather than permanent game rules.
How to solve a puzzle step by step
- Read all 16 words before selecting anything. Look for meanings, shared features, familiar phrases, and possible alternate meanings. A word that seems to fit one group may have a stronger connection elsewhere.
- Draft possible groups and name the connection. Before treating four words as a set, explain precisely what links all four. “They seem related” is weaker than a specific shared meaning, phrase, or structure.
- Check every candidate against the full grid. Ask whether another word could also fit the proposed category, or whether one of your four words has a more convincing home. The goal is to explain the grid, not merely find four associated words.
- Submit the clearest, best-supported group. Removing a well-established group can make the remaining words easier to assess. This is a useful tactic, not a guarantee that the next groups will become obvious.
- Reconsider the leftovers for wordplay. If ordinary meaning does not yield a convincing set, try structural possibilities: words that share a prefix or suffix, hidden words, homophones, anagrams, or phrases completed by the same word.
- Use Shuffle if the layout is anchoring your thinking. Rearranging the words can help you notice a different pattern. Shuffling changes their arrangement, not the puzzle’s answer.
These are practical solving suggestions, not extra official rules. An independent guide discusses candidate groups, elimination, wordplay, and Shuffle as tactics; the NYT Help Center establishes the rules and deliberate overlap. Independent strategy guide: NYT Game Solver, “How to Solve NYT Connections.”
Rank #2
How to avoid plausible decoys
- Require a connection that accounts for all four words. A broad theme can make unrelated words look like a set. Be specific enough that the explanation fits each member.
- Look for competing homes. If one word belongs naturally in another candidate group, the first group may be a decoy even if its other members are related.
- Compare candidates, not just individual words. Connections deliberately uses overlapping possibilities. A plausible association is evidence to consider, not proof that a group is correct.
- Switch from meaning to form when useful. Leftover words may connect through spelling, sound, word parts, or a completed expression rather than a shared topic.
A 2025 COLING paper analyzing a dataset of 358 Connections puzzles collected from the game’s June 12, 2023 debut through June 3, 2024 also describes how semantically similar words can belong to different categories. Its analysis supports checking a proposed group against the entire puzzle; it does not establish a guaranteed human solving method. Association for Computational Linguistics, “NYT-Connections: A Deceptively Simple Text Classification Task that Stumps System-1 Thinkers.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens after you finish?
The NYT Help Center says account statistics display puzzles played from June 15, 2024 onward. It also describes post-game statistics and personalized Connections Bot analysis for eligible subscribers. These are separate from the puzzle’s basic objective; consult the Help Center for current eligibility and account details.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
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