Connections is word-based game from The New York Times released in 2023. Today, it’s the second-most played game from the newspaper behind Wordle.
Wyna Liu, Connections developer and crossword editor at the Times, recently shared her disbelief with Newsweek about the puzzle’s global appeal.
“The response has been really incredible and overwhelming, and unexpected,” she said in June. “It’s exciting that something I care very deeply about is resonating with people.”
She added that when it comes to creating a puzzle, “each board has to be made from scratch,” noting, “I usually don’t know where a board is going to go.”
If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle, Newsweek has some helpful clues—and answers—below. If you want to avoid spoilers, though, we suggest you scroll with caution.
How to Play Connections
When it comes to playing Connections, the rules are simple—players must create four groups of four based on similar characteristics from a table of 16 words.
The categories range in difficulty, with yellow considered the easiest category and purple considered the hardest. Green and blue categories are medium difficulty.
For example, Monday’s game linked the words “Bubbles,” “George,” “King Kong” and “Koko” under the category “Famous primates.” This was a purple category.
There is no time limit for the game, so you’re free to mull over the answers for hours if you’d like. That being said, players only get four guesses to get the puzzle correct before the answers are revealed.
If you’re feeling particularly stuck, the “Shuffle” button is helpful for a brain refresh.
Daniel de la Hoz/iStock / Getty Images Plus
Connections #485 Clues for Tuesday, October 8
Newsweek has several hints to help you with today’s Connections puzzle. Two of today’s answers are autumn themed.
Yellow: Terms associated with a spooky holiday in October
Green: To prevent something that’s not allowed
Blue: Words relating to music
Purple: Things that follow a word starting with “C”
Connections #485 Answers for Tuesday, October 8
Yellow Category: HALLOWEEN SYMBOLS
Yellow Words: Bat, Pumpkin, Spider, Witch
Green Category: PROHIBIT
Green Words: Ban, Block, Deny, Forbid
Blue Category: FOUND ON SHEET MUSIC
Blue Words: Accidental, Note, Rest, Staff
Purple Category: CANDY ____
Purple Words: Apple, Bar, Cane, Corn
Congratulations if you got Tuesday’s puzzle correct. If not, don’t sweat it. You’ll get another chance on Wednesday when a new Connections game will be available for you to try.
Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone, and Newsweek will return with more clues and answers tomorrow.
In the meantime, why not try these other word-based puzzles, like Wordscapesand Words With Friends?