Connections is a game from the New York Times where you have to find the connection between words. It sounds simple, but it’s not – Connections categories can be almost anything and are usually quite specific. If you need help answering the questions, we’re here for you.
What is Connections?
Connections is a game from the New York Times. The goal is simple: sort 16 words into groups of four. Each group of words is connected by a common idea or theme. That common element can be anything. We’ve seen everything from games based on the number of letters in the words to categories where you have to find an extra letter at the end of the word. Sometimes they’re economics references, sometimes fairy tales. There’s no way to predict what kind of connection will exist between the words.
When you’re sure you understand the context, select 4 words and then click “Submit.” You only have four attempts in total, so don’t be too guessing.
Notes for today’s Connections groups
Here are a few tips for the 434th Connections game to help you get started:
- Yellow: In connection with disturbing noises in the morning.
- Green: A hypothesis.
- Blue: Sweets.
- Purple: Fairy tale characters.
If you still need help, the actual group names are:
- Yellow: Alarm button
- Green: Here is a thought…
- Blue: Candy pieces
- Purple: Seven dwarves minus last letter
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Alarm buttons (yellow):
Alarm, hour, snooze, time setting
Here’s a thought… (Green):
Maybe, Say, Suppose, What if
Candy Pieces (Blue):
Kiss, Nerd, Dwarf, Whopper
Seven Dwarves minus the last letter (purple):
Do, Dope, Grump, Sleep
How did we solve this connection game?
Today’s game wasn’t that bad.
The first group I got was yellow. Alarm, hour, snooze and set time are all words I associated with old-fashioned alarm clocks, so I tried them together. The group name was “Alarm Buttons.”
Maybe, Say, Suppose and What If I found a little interesting. I thought they might be in a group called “Ways to Express a Hypothesis” but that seemed unwieldy. However, since I had nothing else, I tried it. Green was “Here’s a thought…” which was pretty close.
Kiss, Nerd, Runt and Whopper are all candies and nothing else would fit. They were in the blue group, “Candy Pieces”.
That left Do, Dope, Grump and Sleep – Purple was a little overwhelming for me again. Eventually I realised that Grump, Dope and Sleep could all be written with a Y at the end and still make sense, but that didn’t work with do. Purple turned out to be “Seven Dwarves minus the last letter”. Turns out I need to up my fairy tale game.
How do you guess fraternity groups?
There is no quick and reliable way to use Connections like Wordle because Connections is not algorithmic. However, there are a few things to keep in mind that can be helpful.
- Search for similar parts of speech. Are some words verbs and others nouns? Are some adjectives? Try to mentally group them according to these categories and see if you notice any other patterns.
- Are the words synonyms? Sometimes categories are just synonyms for a phrase or very similar to synonyms. However, don’t rely on them too much. Occasionally, Connections will intentionally throw in words that Sometimes Synonyms to mislead you.
- Try to pronounce the words. Sometimes it helps to say the words out loud. One puzzle we saw contained the words “walk,” “rate,” “faster,” “clip,” “pace,” “speed,” “move,” “commute,” and “hurry” – all of which are obviously linked to the idea of movement. But saying them out loud makes it a little clearer that only four of them (walk, move, hurry, faster) are things you would actually say to get someone to move.
- Expect diversionary tactics. Connections usually contains words that could plausibly but incorrectly be grouped together. Take, for example, the words Bud, Corona, and Light. You might instinctively see these three words together and assume they are grouped together in a category related to beer – but that’s not the case.
- Search for unique words. If a word on your board doesn’t have multiple meanings or can really only be used in one context, try using that word as the basis for a category.
- Shuffle the board. Sometimes it helps to move words around and see them with different eyes.
If you didn’t solve this puzzle, don’t feel bad – there’s still tomorrow! And these words might fit a topic you’re interested in, giving you an edge over the competition.
