Bold opening: Today’s NYT Connections puzzle challenges film buffs and curious solvers alike, and the payoff is a satisfying “aha” moment you won’t forget.
Connections is one of the New York Times’ most popular word games, inviting players to identify the hidden threads that tie four words together. Like Wordle, it resets at midnight, and each new puzzle grows trickier, which is why many players turn to tips, hints, and strategies to push through the tougher sets.
If you’re in a rush and just want the solution for today’s puzzle, you can skip to the end. But if you prefer to crack the puzzle yourself, read on for clues, strategies, and helpful guidance.
What is Connections?
The NYT’s daily word game has become a social media favorite. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with shaping the project and bringing it to the Games section. Connections can be played in a web browser or on mobile devices, and the goal is to group 16 words into four sets, each sharing a common link.
Each puzzle presents 16 words arranged on the board, with the four groups mapping to different categories. The connections can span a wide range of topics—book titles, software, country names, and more. Even when several words appear to fit together, only one correct arrangement exists.
If you place all four correct words into a group, they’re removed from the board. A wrong guess counts as a mistake, and you can make up to four mistakes before the puzzle ends.
You can shuffle and rearrange the board to help spot connections. Each category is color-coded to indicate difficulty: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. And, like Wordle, you can share your results with friends on social media.
Today’s hints (without revealing the categories)
If you’d like hints without the actual categories, try these prompts:
- Yellow: Get moving!
- Green: Lineage
- Blue: Films by an iconic director
- Purple: Musical sounds
Today’s actual categories
- Yellow: Dances
- Green: Descendants
- Blue: Hitchcock movies
- Purple: Starting with percussion instruments
Today’s solution (for reference only)
- Dances: BOLERO, FOXTROT, MAMBO, QUICKSTEP
- Descendants: BROOD, FAMILY, OFFSPRING, POSTERITY
- Hitchcock movies: LIFEBOAT, ROPE, SPELLBOUND, SUSPICION
- Starting with percussion instruments: BELLHOP, CHIMERA, DRUMROLL, RATTLESNAKE
If you didn’t solve it today, don’t worry—new Connections await tomorrow, offering another chance to exercise your brain.
For more puzzle help, you can also check NYT Strands hints for today’s other word game, Strands, and Mashable’s Games hub for additional puzzles like Mahjong, Sudoku, and free crosswords.
Would you like this rewritten version tailored for a different audience (e.g., younger readers, educators, or expert puzzlers) or adjusted to a shorter or more formal style? If you’re rewriting for a specific platform, tell me the tone and length you’re aiming for.
