The New York Times' Connections: A Word Game Phenomenon

The New York Times launched Connections in June 2023, a new word-based game, which has since developed a loyal fan base across the world. This engaging puzzle challenges players to identify common threads among 16 different words. Once identified, these words are subdivided into four distinct categories, making the game both fun and intellectually stimulating.

If you're not yet familiar with the game, Newsweek has provided some instructions below to help you get started. The game's growing popularity is a testament to its engaging gameplay, which combines elements of word association and problem-solving.

How To Play Connections

In Connections, players must group together words they think share common threads to reveal the names of their corresponding categories. Each puzzle consists of 16 words, and players will find that the uniting themes can come from a broad range of categories. These categories can include anything from horror-movie franchises to types of sound to food, making the game versatile and exciting.

To add to the challenge, the board has a color-coding system representing levels of difficulty. The easiest words are marked in yellow, while words of increasing difficulty are marked in green, blue, and purple. A group’s color will only be revealed once the words in that group have been correctly connected. This adds an additional layer of strategy to the game.

If players successfully connect all four words in each set, those words will be removed from the board. However, it's important to note that each incorrect guess counts toward the mistake tally, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends. This adds a level of suspense and excitement as players strategize their moves to avoid mistakes.

Another interesting feature of the game is the ability for players to shuffle and rearrange the board. This option can make it easier to guess the connections, but caution is advised. The game's creator and editor, Wyna Liu, pointed out that the original placement of the words on the board is designed to challenge players, as some words could fit into multiple categories. Ultimately, there is only one correct answer for each set of words.

For those needing assistance with today’s Connections puzzle, Newsweek has compiled a few hints. However, players should be cautious, as the answers can be found further down in the article, which might spoil the fun of solving the puzzle independently.

Connections has quickly risen to prominence since its launch in June, now standing as The New York Times' second most-played word game, just behind Wordle. For fans of word games, this makes Connections a must-try!

Connections #341 Clues for Friday, May 17

Yellow: Related to dishonesty.

Green: Different ways you can communicate with someone.

Blue: These objects are often seen in a traditional style of painting.

Purple: Each of these answers goes well with the word "beer."

Connections #341 Answers for Friday, May 17

Yellow Category: CORRUPT

Yellow Words: Base, dirty, low, vile

Green Category: REACH OUT TO

Green Words: Contact, Message, Ping, Text

Blue Category: CLASSIC STILL LIFE COMPONENTS

Blue Words: Fruit, Pitcher, Skull, Tablecloth

Purple Category: BEER ____

Purple Words: Batter, Can, Garden, Pong

Did you guess the answers correctly? If so, congratulations! If not, don’t worry—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.