Good morning to everyone starting their week with a game of Connections—Newsweek is here to make sure it engages your brain, not fries your brain. The New York Times word puzzle, launched last summer, has quickly become one of the paper's most popular games, just behind Wordle, another hit word game. With its intriguing challenge, players enjoy the thrill of grouping words together and testing their cognitive skills.
This week, on July 8, the Connections game, #393, has a difficulty rating of 2.3 out of five. According to the Times, this rating is calculated by averaging the scores provided by a panel of testers who are paid to solve each puzzle in advance. If you want to tackle this challenge solo, be sure to scroll down slowly and carefully; Newsweek is about to break down hints, tips, and finally answers to help you along the way!
Before we dive into the specifics, let’s recap how to play this engaging puzzle. Players are tasked with grouping 16 words into four categories based on their associations. For instance, in a recent game, words like "condense," "freeze," "melt," and "vaporize" were linked under the category "changes of matter." Each category has varying difficulty levels, with yellow being the easiest and purple the most challenging. Remember, while the concept seems straightforward, the puzzles often incorporate homophones and clever wordplay, so be prepared to think outside the box!
How to Play Connections
To succeed at Connections, players must categorize 16 words into four distinct groups that share a common trait. This engaging twist on word puzzles challenges your thinking and creativity. For example, in the latest game, players found words such as "jug," "saw," "spoons," and "washboard" grouped under the category "objects played as instruments." This illustrates how the game can connect seemingly unrelated words in surprising ways.
Each category comes with a difficulty rating: yellow is the simplest, followed by green, blue, and finally purple, which poses the greatest challenge. This tiered system not only adds excitement but also allows players to gauge their progress and improve their skills over time. The thrill of solving these challenges keeps players returning for more!
It’s essential to keep in mind that while the idea of grouping words is simple, the actual puzzles often employ clever wordplay and homophones. This means you’ll need to think creatively and sometimes look at words from different angles. For example, if you think outside the box, you might surprise yourself with the connections you uncover!
The game is released at midnight in your local time zone, so you can kick off your daily puzzle-solving routine as soon as the clock strikes twelve. As you get ready to dive into the latest round, let’s take a look at the words you'll be working with today!
Connections #393 Words for Monday, July 8
The 16 words you're working with today are: canine, trick, spirit, ozone, often, pointer, will, visit, frequent, resolve, haunt, tip, grit, suggestion, freight, and patronize.
Connections #393 Clues for Monday, July 8
Yellow: Things people can give you to help
Green: Qualities you need to see challenges through
Blue: If you visit somewhere often you ___ that place
Purple: Numerical words that do not mean numbers
Connections #393 Categories for Monday, July 8
Yellow: Bit of advice
Green: Fortitude
Blue: Spend time at
Purple: Words ending in numbers
Connections #393 Answers for Monday, July 8
Yellow: Pointer, suggestion, tip, trick
Green: Grit, resolve, spirit, will
Blue: Frequent, haunt, patronize, visit
Purple: Canine, freight, often, ozone
Newsweek will be back tomorrow, with another round of hints and tips for the day's new game. If you are still looking for puzzles to solve (with help), head to Newsweek's hints and tips for the Times' most-played word game Wordle.
New Jersey's Recent Earthquake: Understanding The Aftershocks And Community Concerns
The Mystery Of Andrew Irvine: A Century-Old Climb On Mount Everest
Remembering John Lennon: 40 Years Since His Tragic Death
