If you want to avoid breaking your Connections winning streak, Newsweek is here to help.
The New York Times purchased Wordle in January 2022 for a low seven-figure sum following an explosion in its popularity across the English-speaking world.
The following year, presumably in a bid to capitalize on this success, the paper launched Connections. The new game has already proven popular and gained a dedicated following, quickly having gone on to become the newspaper’s second-most-played game behind Wordle.
How To Play ‘Connections’
Connections tasks players with grouping 16 words into four categories based on association. For example, Tuesday’s game linked the words “Designation,” “Handle,” “Moniker” and “Sobriquet” in the category “Nicknames.”
Each category is named after a color, which also signifies how difficult it is. Yellow is the easiest category, followed by green, then blue and purple. If a player guesses incorrect groups of words four times, the game ends and they are defeated. There is no time limit for the game.
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At any point, the player can shuffle the board resulting in the 16 words being randomly repositioned.
If you are struggling to see a link between some of the words, Connections editor Wyna Liu suggests trying to solve a different category first to narrow down the selection.
“Doing so might take one of those extra cards out of contention, or at least remove a few cards from the board, making other categories easier to see,” she said.
This approach also helps sidestep “item overlap,” when one word can fit into multiple categories—a trick Connections uses to test players. You can also press the “shuffle” button, which shakes up the board and can sometimes make the association between words more obvious.
Liu also told Newsweek that players should “wait as long as possible” to guess, because “your four guesses go by extremely quickly.”
“Don’t do what I do which is ‘rage solve,'” she said in June.
‘Connections’ #430 Clues for Wednesday, August 14
Newsweek is here with some hints to help you identify today’s Connections categories.
Yellow: What someone does if they make a mistake.
Green: The names of things you will find in a garden.
Blue: Each answer relates to insects that make honey.
Purple: The answers in this category will be easier for baseball fans.
‘Connections’ #430 Answers for Wednesday, August 14
Yellow Category: BLUNDER
Yellow Words: Boo-Boo, Flub, Gaffe, Goof
Green Category: FLOWERS
Green Words: Daisy, Jasmine, Petunia, Poppy
Blue Category: THINGS BEES DO
Blue Words: Buzz, Dance, Pollinate, Sting
Purple Category: FIRST NAMES OF YANKEES LEGENDS
Purple Words: Babe, Lou, Mickey, Yogi
Well, that was good fun! Did you work out the answer? If so, congratulations, but please don’t be put off playing if not. Practice makes perfect, and the next Connections puzzle will be published on Thursday.
Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone, and Newsweek will be back tomorrow with another round of hints and tips.
If you can’t wait, why not try these other popular online word puzzle games?