Connections: The New Word Game Sensation From The New York Times

This June marks one year since The New York Times unveiled Connections to the public, and it has proved to be a hit with word game fans. The brainteaser is now the news outlet's second-most-played game after Wordle. While similarly word-based, Connections challenges players to uncover threads connecting a series of words.

With its unique gameplay, Connections has captivated audiences, inviting them to engage their minds in a delightful puzzle experience. The game combines elements of strategy, logic, and vocabulary, making it appealing to a wide range of players. It has quickly become a staple for those seeking to enhance their cognitive skills while enjoying a fun and interactive pastime.

Instructions on how to play the game are below. Clues and the answers for today’s puzzle are toward the end of the article. As you dive into the world of Connections, prepare to unlock your inner wordsmith!

How To Play 'Connections'

The brainteaser tasks players with grouping 16 words into four categories based on association. For example, Friday's game linked the words "conceive," "envision," "imagine," and "picture," which all came under the category "dream up."

Each of the four categories is labeled with a color, which also signifies their difficulty level. Yellow is the easiest category, followed by green, blue, and purple. However, the puzzles are rarely straightforward, using homophones and wordplay, among other techniques, to keep things interesting.

The uniting themes span a wide range of topics, from movie franchises to body parts. Once you have figured out one group, those words are removed from the grid. However, players get only four guesses. Each incorrect guess adds to your mistake tally, and after four wrong answers, it’s game over.

Connections also has a shuffle button, which will mix up where the words appear on the screen to help players who might be stuck. Explaining why the game has four difficulty levels, NYT puzzle editor Wyna Liu said she toyed with different ways to make Connections more of a challenge.

"There would have to be a mix of categories for the game to feel challenging and satisfying," she said in the NYT. "Some categories might be defined by their use of wordplay—palindromes, homophones, adding or dropping letters and words—rather than the literal meanings of the words on the cards."

However, the familiarity of the words used, and how often they pop up in modern life, are also difficulty factors, although, less-common words aren't only used in the harder categories. "Item overlap," where one word can be linked to multiple categories, is another way Connections tests players.

"Caution was needed when including items that might stand out in the grid, since they would invite immediate scrutiny," Liu explained. The answers for today's Connections puzzle will be revealed at the end of this article, so scroll with caution if you want to work them out yourself.

'Connections' #363 Clues for Saturday, June 8

Newsweek has some hints to help you figure out today’s Connections categories.

• Yellow: These words could have you captivated.
• Green: For these words, think of different ways of using the same letters.
• Blue: These words are associated with methods of taking visual memories.
• Purple: Each of these answers follows another word for attractive.

'Connections' #363 Answers for Saturday, June 8

Yellow Category: GRAB ONE'S ATTENTION

Yellow Words: Absorb, Engross, Hold, Rivet

Green Category: ANAGRAMS

Green Words: Pastel, Petals, Pleats, Staple

Blue Category: DOCUMENT WITH VIDEO

Blue Words: Film, Record, Shoot, Tape

Purple Category: PRETTY___

Purple Words: Good, Penny, Please, Woman

Did you guess the answers correctly? If so, congratulations! If not, there will be another opportunity to crack the puzzle tomorrow. Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone. Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips for each new game.