The New York Times has released its latest round of daily puzzles, with Monday’s Connections puzzle proving to be a challenge for some players. The game features 16 seemingly random words grouped together in a box, and the objective is to find four words that are linked together into a category. There are four groups in total, each separated by color – yellow, green, blue, and purple. The easiest group to identify becomes yellow, followed by green, blue, and finally purple, which is the most difficult or obscure group. Once a group of four connected words is found, they are essentially removed from the game, and players have four attempts to correctly guess all four groups.
Wyna Liu, Connections editor, offered some tips for players struggling with the game. She suggests that if a player selects cards and notices that there are five or more that belong to a category, they should try pivoting to a different category before making a guess. This can help eliminate some cards from contention and make other categories easier to see. Liu also explained that the initial placement of the 16 words at the start of each game is intentional, sometimes tricking players into thinking they are connected when they are not the answer the game is looking for. To help players, Newsweek provided clues for the categories and solutions to Monday’s game, including words like foul, rank, ripe, sour in the yellow category (bed-smelling) and constant, level, stable, uniform in the green category (unfluctuating).
The daily Connections puzzle offers players a mental challenge and an opportunity to showcase their problem-solving skills. The game resets daily at midnight in the player’s local time zone, making it accessible to players from all over the world. Each round presents new words and categories for players to decipher, keeping the game fresh and engaging. By carefully considering the clues provided and using strategic thinking, players can improve their chances of correctly guessing all four connected groups. Additionally, understanding the different difficulty levels represented by the colors can help players prioritize which groups to focus on first to increase their chances of success.
Players have limited attempts to correctly identify all four connected groups, adding a sense of urgency and excitement to the game. If a player is unable to solve all four categories, the answers and corresponding difficulty colors are revealed at the end, providing an opportunity for players to learn and improve for future games. The game’s structure encourages players to think critically, make connections between seemingly unrelated words, and practice perseverance in the face of challenges. With practice and attention to detail, players can enhance their cognitive skills and enjoy the satisfaction of unraveling the puzzle’s hidden connections.
