To solve NYT Connections, find four groups of four words that each share one defensible rule. The safest habit is to read all 16 words before submitting: the puzzle is designed so that a word can appear to fit more than one category, and an appealing partial match may be a decoy.
How NYT Connections works
Each puzzle presents 16 words. Sort them into four groups of four; each group is assigned a color, from yellow (typically the most straightforward) through green and blue to purple (often the trickiest). The New York Times Help Center says each puzzle has exactly one solution and that editors curate words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary. NYT Help Center: Connections
The colors are useful clues about difficulty, not fixed instructions for how to solve. Puzzle maker Wyna Liu describes purple as the wordplay category, while blue may sometimes rely on more specialized trivia. Yellow and green can involve ordinary categories or synonyms. Those are tendencies, not guarantees: a particular board may not follow a solver’s expectations. Elaine Godfrey’s 2024 interview with Wyna Liu in The Atlantic
Scan the whole board before choosing a group
Read every word and consider more than its first, most obvious meaning. If three words seem to belong together, resist filling in a fourth immediately. A word that appears to complete that set may have a stronger role elsewhere, and a different rule may explain all four words more precisely.
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Before submitting, compare candidate groups on four points:
- Coverage: Does the rule account for all four words, not just two or three?
- Specificity: Can you state a clear category, phrase pattern, or word operation, rather than saying only that the words feel related?
- Ambiguity: Does one of the words also plausibly fit another category on the board?
- Word operation: Does the connection depend on a shared phrase, a beginning or ending, a sound-alike, or a less familiar meaning?
Test literal categories, phrases, and wordplay
Start with direct meanings
Try straightforward categories and synonyms first. A rule such as “all are fruits” is testable: each word either fits the category or it does not. If your explanation needs several exceptions, or only loosely connects the words, keep looking.
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Look for phrase patterns
When no literal category accounts for a set, ask whether the words commonly come before or after the same missing word. Say the possible phrases aloud; a connection can be easier to hear than to see. Liu has described purple groups that use words ending with a shared term, among other wordplay patterns.
Check sounds, spelling, and alternate meanings
Consider homophones, shared word endings or beginnings, and secondary meanings. A word may be included for how it sounds or for a meaning that is not its first dictionary definition. NYT says its editors use the Oxford Dictionary when curating words and categories, but that does not mean every connection is a simple definition match. Liu’s interview in The Atlantic
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Independent how-to guides describe Connections as allowing four mistakes and report that the game may say “one away” when three submitted words belong together but the fourth is misplaced. Treat that feedback as evidence to reconsider, not as proof that the rest of your theory is correct. Keep the strongest three-word match in mind and test other candidates for the fourth. Connections+ how-to guide · Melio Games strategy guide
If a guess fails, change the theory rather than swapping words at random. Revisit the meanings, test a phrase or sound connection, and see whether the suspected word has a more convincing home in another group. Once a category is solved, the reduced board can make the remaining relationships easier to see.
Choose a solving routine that works for you
There is no official required order for solving the categories. Liu says, “The game works best when it’s just solved your own way.” Some players begin with a clear literal category; others hold off until they have compared several possibilities. The practical aim is not to follow a fixed color sequence, but to submit groups whose shared rule you can explain. The Atlantic interview with Wyna Liu
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play and what the research numbers mean
The NYT Help Center says Connections is released at midnight in the player’s timezone and is available through the Games app, the Connections page, The Athletic site, and the News app. It says registration is not currently required and play is free; Connections Bot and the full archive are subscriber features. The archive goes back to June 12, 2023, and archived plays do not affect streaks. These access and product details can change, so check the current NYT Help Center page for the latest information.
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A 2025 COLING paper examined a benchmark of 358 Connections-derived puzzles. It reported human-evaluator accuracy of 39.33% on one-try instances, 56.0% with multiple attempts and no hints, and 60.67% with full hints; the paper reported 40.25% for Claude 3.5 in its full-hints condition. The human baseline used three evaluators. These are results under the paper’s benchmark conditions, not estimates of how often everyday NYT players solve a daily puzzle. COLING 2025 paper
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