Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsNYT Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. The daily puzzle is free, but hints outside the game may contain spoilers, and the streak cutoff is midnight in your local time. Here’s how the rules, help options, statistics, archive, and sharing work.
How does NYT Connections work?
Each puzzle presents 16 words. Find four groups of four words that share a theme. The intended solution is unique, even though words may seem to fit more than one category. The New York Times says its editors curate words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary. Yellow marks the easiest group and purple the trickiest. See the NYT Help Center’s Connections guide for the official overview.
The game is free to play on the Games app, NYTimes.com, NYTimes.com/The Athletic, and the News app; a sign-in is not required to play. The Times recommends signing in if you want progress to carry across devices or platforms. A new puzzle releases at midnight in your timezone.
Where can I get Connections hints?
Connections Companion
Connections Companion is a community forum on the gameplay page. It offers hints, comments, and a difficulty score, but comments may reveal answers. Finish the puzzle first or scroll carefully if you want to avoid spoilers. Companion is not available inside the Games or News app. Details are in the NYT Help Center guide.
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Editorial hints
Daily guides from publications such as Tom’s Guide offer hints outside the official game interface. These can preserve some of the challenge while helping you keep a streak, but the amount they reveal varies; choose a hint level carefully and avoid answer sections until you are ready.
A quick check before submitting
Because several words can plausibly fit overlapping themes, name the category you think connects your four choices and verify that every word fits that same interpretation. Then compare the proposed group with the remaining tiles before submitting. This is a practical way to account for the game’s deliberate ambiguity, not an in-game hint feature.
Rank #2
How many mistakes can you make?
The NYT Help Center’s FAQ does not specify an allowed number of mistakes or describe a graded in-game hint system. Tom’s Guide reports that after four mistakes, the answers are revealed; treat that as secondary guidance, not an official rule confirmed by the Help Center. The game’s official overview describes the puzzle structure and overlapping categories but does not state a mistake limit.
Why did my Connections streak reset?
A daily solve counts toward your current streak only if you finish before midnight in your local timezone. If you complete the puzzle after that cutoff, the streak breaks and a new one starts; the NYT Help Center says a broken Connections streak cannot be reset. The daily puzzle itself also releases at midnight in your timezone, so check local time rather than assuming a single worldwide cutoff.
What do Connections statistics track?
The stats page is linked to your NYT account. It tracks puzzles completed, win rate, current streak, maximum streak, perfect puzzles, and a histogram of mistakes. According to the NYT Help Center, statistics cover puzzles played from June 15, 2024 onward.
What Connections Bot adds
Connections Bot offers difficulty comparisons, ratings, category information, common mistakes, and guess-by-guess analysis. It is available to All Access, Home Delivery, and Games subscribers, on iOS and Android News apps and on the web. It is a post-game analysis tool, not a free hint system available to every player.
Does the Connections archive affect my streak?
The archive is available to All Access and Games subscribers and includes puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023. Archive play affects completed-puzzle, win-rate, perfect-puzzle, and mistake-distribution statistics, but not your current or maximum streak; those count only the puzzle released that day. Completed archive puzzles cannot be replayed. The NYT Help Center explains the archive and statistics rules.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do I share Connections results?
After you submit your last guess, the statistics page appears with a “Share Your Results” option. Available sharing methods depend on your device. The copy button lets you paste the result into a text field, such as a social post, email, or text message. Before sending, preview the pasted result and consider whether its format or any accompanying text could spoil the puzzle for your audience; the NYT does not guarantee that every platform handles spoilers the same way. See the NYT Help Center’s sharing instructions.
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