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Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn’t—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they’re usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we’ve got you covered.
What Is Connections?
Connections is a game from the New York Times. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4. Each group of words will be connected by some common idea or theme. That common element could be anything. We have seen everything from games that rely on the number of letters in the words to categories that require you to spot an extra letter at the end of the word. Sometimes they’re references to economics, other times they reference fairy tales. There is no telling what sort of association there will be between words.
Once you’re confident you understand the connection, select 4 words, then hit “Submit.” You have only four attempts in total, so don’t be too guess-happy.
Hints for Today’s Connections Groups
Here are a few hints for September 17th’s Connections game to get you started:
Dug, Matte, Mic, Peat
How Did We Solve This Connections Game?
The 464th wasn’t too bad. The first group I got was Yellow, amp, fire, hype, psych. They’re all terms commonly used to express some kind of positive energy. To get amped up, you’re fired up, and so on. Yellow was “Get Excited, With Up.”
Next, I noticed that chair, leader, speaker, and whip are all positions within the U.S. Legislative branch. They were in the Blue group, “Legislative Roles.”
After mulling it over, I realized that dug, matte, mic, and peat are all words that sound like relatively common names. They were in the Purple group, “Name Homophones.”
That left flat, mule, pump, and slide—words I couldn’t connect no matter how hard I tried. Eventually, I gave up and just completed the group. Apparently, Green was all “Kinds of Shots.”
How Do You Guess Connections Groups?
There is no quick, reliable way to approach Connections like there is with Wordle, since Connections isn’t algorithmic. However, there are a few things to keep in mind that can help.
If you didn’t solve this one, don’t feel too bad—there’s always tomorrow! And those words may align with a topic you’re interested in, giving you a leg up on the competition.
