How to play NYT Connections
Rack your brains to group words and ideas together
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By learning how to play NYT Connections, you’ll be adding a fun, sophisticated game to your repertoire of puzzles.
Word puzzles push your neurons to form new pathways and enhance your cognitive skills. But to make the most of these games, you want enough variety to dabble with — and NYT Connections is a perfect addition. This game challenges your vocabulary and associative thinking while introducing a fun and engaging way to connect words and ideas, teaching you something new every round.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to play NYT Connections. And if you want to experiment with exciting board games, check out our round-up of thebest board games for adults.
Tools and requirements
Steps for how to play NYT Connections
Step-by-step guide to play NYT Connections
We’ve demonstrated the steps below on an iPhone’s Chrome browser.
Also, you don’t need a subscription to play NYT Connections.
1. Open NYT Connections
GotoThe New York Times Connectionswebsite andclick ‘Play’.
Alternatively,downloadandlaunchtheNYT Games appon your smartphone andtap ‘Play’afteropeningthe game.
Uponclicking Play, you’ll find a’How to Play’pop-up explaining the game’s rules.TaptheX icontocloseit.
2. Evaluate and group words
Assessthe4x4 gridwith16 wordsto recognize words that belong to the same group or theme. The word groupings will be more specific than verbs, names, or the number of letters.
Once you spot a group of four words,taporclickthewordsto select them.
3. Submit and continue playing
Taporclick ‘Submit’to confirm your selection.
If your answer iscorrect, the four words willbe grouped under a colored labelthat indicates the difficulty of the grouping. Yellow is the most straightforward, green is a bit harder, blue is even more complex, and purple is the trickiest. The colored label will also have abold headingto describe the group name.
If your answer isincorrect, the 4x4 grid will remaingreyed out,and you’lllose one of your four chances(displayed above the Submit button).
If you’re feeling stuck,press’Shuffle’to rearrange thegridand (hopefully) spot a grouping.
4. View Results
Once you’ve submitted everything correctly or used up all your chances, you’ll get theResultsin agridthat shows your performance in each turn.
For example, if you got everything right on your first chance, the first row in the result grid will be a solid color corresponding to the difficulty group it belongs to. But in your third turn, if you got three words correct and one incorrect, then the third row will have three blocks of the same color and one of a different color.
Under the result, you’ll see a timer for how long you must wait for the next game. Below the timer, you canclickthe’Share Your Results’button to copy your results to the clipboard and share them wherever you wish to.
To see all the answers, return to the puzzle byclicking ‘Back to puzzle’(towards the top). And you canclick ‘View Results’to see the results grid and timer again.
Final thoughts
Playing NYT Connections is more than just a test of your vocabulary because it challenges your ability to draw associations between seemingly unrelated words. It’s excellent for lateral thinking and keeping your brain sharp, and it’s convenient since you can play it on most platforms.
For more engaging games and puzzles, check outhow to play Heardle,how to play board games online, andhow to play Cards Against Humanity online.
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Nikshep Myle is a freelance writer covering tech, health, and wellbeing. He has written for popular tech blogs like Tom’s Guide, GadgetReview, SlashGear, and Creative Bloq, and has extensively reviewed consumer gadgets. When he’s not writing, you’ll find him meditating, gaming, discovering new music, and indulging in adventurous and creative pursuits.
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