Wordle Connections Game: How to Play, Get Hints, and Win

Anyone who has spent a few minutes with a daily word puzzle knows the pull of that one-more-try feeling. For millions of players, two games from The New York Times — Wordle and Connections — have become a morning ritual. Wordle alone was played 5.3 billion times in 2024, according to NYT Games data, yet the newer Connections has quietly built its own devoted following. This guide walks through both games, compares their mechanics, and offers practical strategies for tackling them side by side.

Words per Connections puzzle: 16 · Categories to find: 4 · Wordle word length: 5 letters · Wordle guesses allowed: 6

The pattern: Connections and Wordle share a publisher but differ in almost every other way.

The implication: both games are daily rituals, but Connections demands a different kind of pattern recognition — one that players often find harder to master.

What is the NYT Connections game?

How to play Connections

• You are given a grid of 16 words and must find four hidden categories, each containing four words that share a common theme. (Beebom – game objective)
• Categories can be based on synonyms, wordplay, shared prefixes, or even pop-culture references.
• Players select words and submit their guess; if correct, the category is revealed. You can make up to four mistakes before the game ends. (Beebom – mistake limit)

Connections rules overview

• Each puzzle has exactly one correct grouping — no overlapping categories are allowed.
• The game uses a color-coded difficulty system: Yellow (easiest), Green, Blue, and Purple (hardest).
• Players can shuffle the grid to see words in a different order.

The pattern: Wordle tests your vocabulary and deduction, while Connections tests your ability to spot lateral connections. The trade-off is that Connections can feel more frustrating because the categories can be deliberately obscure.

How do I get hints for Connections?

Official NYT hints

• The New York Times does not publish official hints for Connections. The game is designed to be solved without external help.
• However, the in-game color coding (yellow → green → blue → purple) gives you a clue about difficulty, which can guide your strategy.

Third-party hint sites

• Websites like word.tips provide daily hints, including category names and word groupings. (Word.tips – daily hints)
• Other sites such as Beebom and OmniGame also publish hints and strategy guides. (OmniGame – Connections guide)

In-game color hints

• The four color levels correspond to intended difficulty. Yellow is usually straightforward (e.g., “types of fruit”), while Purple can involve wordplay or niche references.
• If you group a word correctly, the entire category disappears, reducing the 16-word grid to 12, then 8, then 4.

The trade-off: using hints may reduce the satisfaction of discovery, but for many players, it keeps the game accessible.

What is the Connections game today?

Where to find today’s puzzle

• The latest Connections puzzle is available at NYT Games – Connections.
• A new puzzle is released every day at midnight local time, according to the official site. (NYT Games – daily puzzle metadata)
• You can play on the web or via the NYT Games app on iOS and Android.

How to access previous puzzles

• Archives of past Connections puzzles are available, but only for NYT Games subscribers. (Beebom – archive access)
• As of mid-2026, the game has published over 1,099 daily puzzles. (OmniGame – puzzle count)

The implication: if you miss a day, you can catch up later — but only if you subscribe.

How does Connections compare to Wordle?

Gameplay differences

• Wordle: guess a secret five-letter word in six tries using letter-color feedback (green = correct, yellow = wrong position, gray = not in word). (Beebom – Wordle objective)
• Connections: group 16 words into four categories of four words each. No letter feedback — you rely on semantic overlap.
• Wordle usually takes 2–5 minutes; Connections can take 5–15 minutes depending on the categories.

Difficulty and strategy

• Connections is generally considered harder because players must evaluate 16 words with overlapping categories. (Beebom – difficulty comparison)
• Wordle relies on vocabulary and pattern recognition; Connections relies on lateral thinking and cultural knowledge.
• Both games allow only one puzzle per day, encouraging a shared experience among players.

Popularity and community

• In 2024, Wordle was played 5.3 billion times, Connections 3.3 billion times, and Strands 1.3 billion times. (Wikipedia – NYT Games play stats)
• Wordle has a larger global player base, but Connections has a dedicated following on social media where players share their results.

The pattern: both games are free, daily, and from NYT, but they scratch different itches. The trade-off is time versus complexity.

Are there variants like Waffle or Word Match?

What is the Waffle game?

• Waffle is a word puzzle game where you swap letters between positions to form correct words in a grid shaped like a waffle. It is not related to NYT.
• The game gives you a limited number of swaps and awards stars based on efficiency.

What is Word Match: Connections game?

• Word Match: Connections is a mobile app that mimics the NYT Connections format. It is not an official NYT product.
• It offers unlimited puzzles and sometimes simpler categories, making it a popular alternative for casual play.

Connections for kids

• Some third-party sites offer kid-friendly versions of Connections with easier vocabulary and more straightforward categories.
• These are not official NYT products but can be found on app stores and educational websites.

The implication: the Connections format has inspired clones and adaptations, but the official NYT version remains the most polished and widely played.

Step-by-Step Strategy for Playing Both Games

1. Start with Wordle first: it warms up your brain for the more complex Connections and typically takes less time.
2. Use a consistent starting word like “CRANE” or “SLATE” to maximize letter coverage in Wordle.
3. After each Wordle guess, note the color feedback and eliminate possibilities logically.
4. Read all 16 Connections words before making any selections — look for obvious categories first.
5. Shuffle the grid to see words in a different arrangement, which can reveal hidden connections.
6. If stuck, identify one word that could belong to multiple categories; that is often a red herring.
7. Use errors early to test theories, keeping in mind you have only four mistakes allowed.
8. Practice daily: consistency builds pattern recognition, helping you spot common category types like “___ and ___” phrases or homophones.

Clarity: What We Know and What Remains Uncertain

Expert Perspectives

Connections was designed to be a complement to Wordle — a puzzle that asks you to think about words in a different way, not just spell them.

— NYT Games editor, on the creation of Connections (The Word Finder – history article)

Our daily hints for Connections are generated by analyzing the puzzle’s word list and identifying the most likely category themes. We try to give just enough help without spoiling the solve.

— Word.tips puzzle editor, on hint generation (Word.tips – hint methodology)

Wordle’s viral growth from 90 to 300,000 players in two months was unprecedented in the puzzle world. That’s what caught the New York Times’ attention.

— NPR coverage of the Wordle acquisition (NPR – acquisition report)

Three different voices, one consistent story: both games fill a niche, but the way players engage with them is fundamentally different.

Summary

Wordle and Connections have transformed the daily puzzle landscape, each offering a distinct mental workout. Wordle is a quick, addictive test of vocabulary and deduction; Connections is a deeper, more social puzzle that rewards lateral thinking. For the millions of players who start their morning with one or both, the choice is not about which is better — it’s about which kind of challenge you want today. The catch: NYT Games subscribers get both options — a five-minute sprint and a fifteen-minute puzzle hunt — under one subscription.

För den som vill fördjupa sig i denna populära pusselvariant finns en utförlig Connections New York Times guide som beskriver regler och strategier för dagliga spel.

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