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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11To solve NYT Connections, scan all 16 words, test competing category ideas, and submit the clearest complete group of four. Then reassess the remaining words after each correct group. This approach helps avoid guesses built on a tempting but incomplete pattern; it is a practical solving method, not an official New York Times checklist.
How NYT Connections works
Connections gives you 16 words to divide into four groups of four, with each group sharing a connection. The New York Times Help Center says every puzzle has exactly one solution, but words may appear to fit more than one category. Editors curate the words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary. Each solved category is assigned a color: yellow is the easiest, followed by green and blue, while purple is the trickiest. The colors indicate difficulty, not a required solving order. New York Times Help Center
The daily puzzle is released at midnight in your timezone. The Help Center lists the NYT Games app, nytimes.com/games/connections, nytimes.com/theathletic, The Athletic app, and the NYT News app as places to play. It describes the daily game as free and the complete archive, dating back to June 12, 2023, as available to All Access and Games subscribers. Access terms may change.
A step-by-step method for finding the categories
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Scan the entire board
Read all 16 words before selecting anything. A set of four may look convincing in isolation, but another word elsewhere on the board could fit it just as well—or more naturally.
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Generate several possible connections
Consider direct categories, synonyms, alternate definitions, names, familiar phrases, and structural wordplay. Notice which words seem to have more than one possible home. Independent solving guides recommend looking for overlap before submitting. NYT Connections Word Tips
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Check that a candidate group is complete
For each proposed category, ask whether exactly four words fit. Check whether one of those words has a stronger alternative connection elsewhere, or whether a fifth word on the board seems equally suitable. The aim is not merely to find a plausible set, but to find one that fits the board’s intended division.
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Submit the clearest group
Choose the group with the strongest, most distinct connection rather than assuming you must solve yellow first. Independent guides recommend playing the set you are most confident in; removing it can make the remaining choices easier to evaluate.
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Reassess the remaining words
After a group is removed, look at the leftovers as a new board. Do not keep forcing your original theory if the remaining words point to a better explanation. Elimination can expose a connection that was obscured by overlap.
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Test wordplay when literal meanings do not fit
If the remaining words do not form an obvious semantic category, check whether they share a prefix or suffix, form phrases when paired with the same word, or involve hidden words, homophones, or anagrams. Sometimes the connection is structural rather than a shared surface meaning. These are strategy checks drawn from independent solving guidance, not an official NYT list of category types. NYT Connections Word Tips
How to choose between two possible groups
When two explanations seem plausible, compare them against the same checks instead of relying on whichever pattern you spotted first. These are practical reasoning tools based on the game’s intentional overlap, not official scoring criteria.
- Fit: Does each of the four words fit the proposed connection cleanly?
- Consistency: Are you using the same kind of meaning or relationship for all four, including any alternate definitions?
- Competing homes: Does one word have a stronger fit in another possible group?
- Board-wide coherence: If you select this group, do the remaining words still make sense as three groups of four?
A category that works only by stretching one word is less convincing than one that accounts for all four consistently and leaves a coherent remainder.
What the color clues do—and do not—tell you
The colors rank the categories by difficulty: yellow is easiest and purple is trickiest, according to the Help Center. They do not tell you which group to submit first. A clear blue or purple-looking connection can be a better first move than an uncertain yellow-looking one if it is the strongest fit you can establish.
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Connections is designed around words that may fit multiple categories, so seeing four related words is not enough by itself. The New York Times Help Center describes each puzzle as having exactly one solution and being deliberately tricky because of this overlap. A peer-reviewed paper in the COLING 2025 proceedings examined the task using a historical dataset of 358 puzzles, covering daily offerings from June 12, 2023 through June 3, 2024. The authors cross-referenced those puzzles with a difficulty chart based on ratings from independent testers. This describes a fixed research dataset, not the game’s current volume or how every player performs. Association for Computational Linguistics, COLING 2025 proceedings
Where to play and replay puzzles
The Help Center says you can play through the NYT Games app, nytimes.com/games/connections, nytimes.com/theathletic, The Athletic app, or the NYT News app. It describes the daily puzzle as free, while access to the full archive dating back to June 12, 2023 requires an All Access or Games subscription. Check the Help Center for current availability and terms: New York Times Help Center.
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