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Time to challenge your mind into something new? Another intriguing puzzle from NYT Connections is back with players to group words with precision and creativity. The words change each day, providing another chance to find connections that may not be readily apparent.
Every day, The New York Times offers NYT Connections, a word game that asks readers to find links between 16 words. The task is to create four groups containing four words for the theme or characteristic they share. But there’s a twist: Sometimes a word aligns with more than one group, and some groups can be deceptive.
The game aims to get players to notice the subtle patterns and avoid making the wrong guesses. Precision is the key, with only four lives per game. The NYT website and Games app allow players to play the game free of charge, and a new puzzle is released every midnight.
Each puzzle has a grid of 16 words. It's about arranging these words into four groups, where the coloring is yellow, green, blue and purple.
These groups are based on distinct themes:
Usually yellow is an easier one.
Moderate challenges are provided by green and blue.
Wordplay or other abstract connections define purple too.
Players choose four words that would fit in a group and press "Submit." Guessing wrong costs a life; four wrong moves and you’re out. Players near completing a group will see messages, like one word away, which gives an extra layer of strategy to the game.
Identifying connections requires a mix of logic and intuition. Common phrases, items related to the theme, or words sharing prefixes or suffixes may be used within categories. In previous games, the groups have included ‘types of animals,’ ‘movie genres,’ or ‘words connected to weather.’
The purple group is the hardest group it requires people to think differently. Wordplay or other less clear-cut relationships define this category sometimes.
Here are the hints for today’s Connections puzzle:
Yellow group — words that are indicative of malfunctioning behavior.
Common car parts — green group
it (A sitter) might want to care for — Blue Group ‘band’ words that can precede purple group
Today’s grid of words includes:
BABY, BUGGY, RIM, RUBBER, BUMPER, HOUSE, MIRROR, SPOTTY, BOY, PLANT, TRIBUTE, WEDDING, ERRATIC, BUMPER, GLITCHY
Spoiler alert: So today’s Connections groups include the following:
Yellow group: UNSTABLE, UNSTABLE, GLITCHY, SPOTTY
Green group: BUMPER, GRILLE, MIRROR, RIM
Blue group: BABY, HOUSE, PET, PLANT
Purple group: RUBBER, BOY, TRIBUTE, WEDDING
The yellow group was distinct for its simplicity and consisted of words relating to unreliable or malfunctioning behavior. For the green group, players knew about cars as the theme for which they offered a simplistic theme for players. The blue group’s theme was oriented toward the common responsibilities of a caretaker while the purple group resonated with words that fit this group, 'band.'
This puzzle requires the logic and lateral thinking, which is one reason why nobody ever seems to get tired of doing NYT Connections. Today’s puzzle was the perfect blend of challenge and fun for players hoping to improve their streaks or just needing a mental workout.
As an archive on the All Access or Games subscription, NYT Connections offers a place to practice or revisit earlier challenges for those interested. The ability to rejuvenate previous puzzles and hone their gameplay skills is made possible by this feature. Tune into tomorrow’s game and don’t forget that every grid has only one correct puzzle solution.
