Wyna Liu, the editor of the game “Connections” for The New York Times, recommends taking your time when selecting categories to avoid using up all your guesses and potentially losing the game. She advises against “rage solving,” which involves quickly inputting guesses. Liu suggests waiting as long as possible before guessing, especially if you have identified a category with five potential words, as guessing too quickly could waste a turn.
In “Connections,” players are presented with a table of 16 words that are grouped into four categories based on common characteristics. These categories are color-coded by difficulty, with yellow being the easiest and purple being the most challenging. For example, a recent game featured words like “braid,” “bun,” “pony,” and “twist” under the category “Ways to wear your hair up,” which was a blue category. Players submit their guesses and if correct, the words disappear from the grid, while incorrect guesses remain gray on the board.
If players find themselves stuck, they can use the “shuffle” button to rearrange the words on the grid. Newsweek provides clues, hints, and answers for each day’s game, such as the ones for the Friday, November 22nd edition. The answers for that day’s game included categories like “Publicity,” “Point of View,” “Work Communication Platforms,” and “____ Island,” with corresponding words like “Exposure,” “Angle,” “Meet,” and “Love.”
The game is released at midnight in the player’s local time zone, with hints and tips provided by Newsweek for each new game. Players can also challenge themselves with other word games like Wordle, also offered by The New York Times, for which Newsweek provides daily hints as well. By taking their time, carefully selecting categories, and utilizing clues and hints, players can enhance their chances of successfully completing the “Connections” word puzzle and having an enjoyable gaming experience.
