From the people that bring you the crossword and Spelling Bee, Connections is the latest NYT Games sensation that has the internet abuzz. Although the game is still word-based, Connections is fundamentally different than many of the other games released by NYT Games and can be uniquely frustrating as a result. It tests your ability to group words together into coherent categories and presents a different challenge every time you play it. And, like Wordle and so many other NYT Games, you can share your results with friends and compare as soon as you’re done.
Connections is still in a sort of testing phase at the moment, but given the game’s success to date, it seems clear that the game could have the kind of legs that makes it a long-running success that people integrate into their everyday lives. Like Wordle, and unlike the crossword, it’s a relatively quick game, which means that playing it doesn’t have to eat up your entire day. That’s part of the reason so many people have gotten devoted to it, and why you may be seeing more Connections results in group chats and on your social media feeds than you were a few weeks ago.
How to play Connections
The premise of Connections is relatively straightforward. The game gives you 16 words that are totally unsorted, and your job is to sort those words into four categories of four. A group of words may be combined because they’re all associated with another word or thing, like “car parts” for example, or because they have something else in common, like “ends with x.” The categories can be almost anything, and the smart folks behind Connections work extra hard to make sure it’s hard to file things away neatly into categories. There’s plenty of ambiguity, which is why you get four wrong guesses before you lose the game.
As you go, Connections should get easier. Once you’ve grouped one category, you have fewer words to choose from for the remaining three, and so on and so forth, until the game is over and you’ve won.
Some key tips for playing Connections
- Find groups of four words that share common traits. Select your four words, then tap “Submit” to see if you’re right.
- You only get four mistakes. If you fail, the game gives you the answers.
- Categories are very specific. They won’t be simple clues like “places” – think critically!
Where to play Connections from NYT Games
There are a few places you can go to play Connections. If you’re on a desktop, you can go to this website to play the game directly. You shouldn’t need a NYT Games subscription to play it at the moment. Like Wordle, it’s totally free to play.
If you have the NYT Games app, you can also use that to play Connections, although that wasn’t the case until recently. Of course, you can also use a browser to play Connections if you’re on a phone or tablet.
NYT Games: Connections tips and tricks
If you’re new to Connections, you may be looking for a few helpful, general hints that will help you play the game well from the very beginning:
- Always look at every word before you pick out a category: It can be tempting to just combine the first four related words you see, but Connections can be intentionally misleading about which words go together.
- Don’t discount the way a word is spelled: Although many words are categorized together because of their association with something else, it’s important not to discount how a word is spelled in your efforts to categorize them.
- It always tells you if you’re one away: If you submit a guess where three of your answers are right, and one is wrong, the game will tell you that you’re just one away from a full category.
- If a word could fit into two categories, wait to use it: If you see a word that could fit into two possible categories you’re trying to decide between, wait to use it until you’ve created at least one other complete category.
Connections from NYT Games: Puzzle answers
If you’ve come to this article because you’re stuck on today’s game, in particular, then we have some specific hints that will hopefully help you arrive at the right answer. Before we give the whole thing away, we’re hoping we can just give you a place to start so that you can solve the puzzle on your own.
Hints
These hints will first reveal the categories of today’s answers, which should still allow you to sort through which words go into which category on your own. If you need more help, we’ll then give you one word that goes into each category
Today’s Connections Themes
- Book sections
- Contact via phone
- Cartoon mice
- Wee
Today’s Connections one-answer reveals
- Book sections – Appendix
- Contact via phone – Buzz
- Cartoon mice – Itchy
- Wee – Dinky
Connection puzzle answers for December 20
If you’re still struggling to arrive at the answers for today’s quiz, that’s more than okay. We’ve got a full rundown of what the answers were across every category, but be warned, we’re spoiling the answers for today’s Connections below:
NYT Games Connections answer key
- Book sections – Appendix, chapter, index, preface
- Contact via phone – Buzz, call, dial, ring
- Cartoon mice – Itchy, Jerry, Pinky, Speedy
- Wee – Dinky, little, minute, slight
The puzzle changes every day, so if you struggled to solve today’s, don’t be discouraged! There will be a brand new one tomorrow.
Editors' Recommendations
- This new Atari console looks just like the original, and can even play all those old, retro games
- Looking for games like Wordle? These fun word puzzles are just as addictive
- 5 upcoming video games we can’t wait to play in 2023
- A quick guide to Super Bowl prop bets and other fun football betting games
- CES 2023: The Manual’s Editors’ Choice winners are…
