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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 the 455th Connections game to get you started:
Bad, Beach, Hardy, Pet Shop
How Did We Solve This Connections Game?
The 455th puzzle was a bit harder than yesterday’s game for me.
The first group I figured out was Yellow, “Verbs in a Cake Recipe.” Bake, beat, frost, and preheat really only apply to cooking, and absolutely nothing else on the board reminded me of cooking.
Pound, pump, race, and throb were all words I associated with intense exercise, and once again, nothing else really seemed to match. They were in the Green group, “What a Heart Does When Excited.”
Bishop, Pastor, Pope, and Prior are all terms I associate with religious titles, so I stuck them in a group together. They were in the Blue group, “Ecclesiastical Titles.”
That left bad, beach, hardy, and pet shop—yet another set of words in Purple that I’d never in a million years figure out if I had to actually guess it. The Purple group was “____ Boys.”
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.
