Mastering The Connections Puzzle: Tips And Tricks

If you’re looking for some help with today’s Connections puzzle, you’ve come to the right place. Newsweek has some helpful hints to give your brain the boost it needs to get the answers correct. The popular brainteaser was released by The New York Times in June 2023 and has gone on to become the newspaper’s second most popular game. Wordle, another word-based puzzle from the publication, currently has that top spot.

In June, Connections developer and Times crossword editor Wyna Liu said the game’s worldwide popularity is really incredible and overwhelming. When it comes to beating the game, Liu said her best advice is to wait as long as you can before guessing. “Don’t do what I do which is ‘rage solve,’” she added. Keep scrolling for tips on today’s Connections game but be warned. The answers for puzzle #492 will be revealed at the bottom of the page. So if you’d rather avoid spoilers, we advise you scroll with caution.

Learning How to Play Connections

If you’ve never played Connections before, the rules of the game are easy to get the hang of. To begin, players are given a table of 16 words. These words must be split into four groups of four based on common characteristics and placed into categories. The categories vary in difficulty from yellow to green to blue to purple, with yellow considered the easiest category and purple considered the trickiest category. For example, Monday’s game linked the words “braid,” “bun,” “pony,” and “twist” under the category “Ways to wear your hair up.” This was a blue category.

Once you’ve selected four words, you’ll click the “Submit” button. If your choices are correct, they’ll appear in the category color and disappear from the grid. If they are incorrect, however, they will remain gray in color and stay on the board. If you’re stuck, try selecting the “Shuffle” button to move the words in a different place on the grid. This may just give you the refresh you were looking for.

Clues for Today's Connections Game

Newsweek has helpful hints to assist you with today’s game. Here are the categories for puzzle #492:

• Yellow: NFL job terms
• Green: TV networks
• Blue: Famous clowns
• Purple: Words beginning with the letter “D”

Answers for Today's Connections Puzzle

Here are the answers for puzzle #492:

Excellent job if you got Tuesday’s puzzle correct, but fear not if you didn’t. You’ll get another chance on Wednesday when a new game will be available for you to try. Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone, so be sure to check back with Newsweek tomorrow for more hints and answers. If you’d like to challenge yourself further in the meantime, why not give these other popular word puzzles—like Typochondria and Wordscapes—a go?