How to Play NYT Connections: Rules, Colors & Winning Strategy
NYT Connections looks simple — sixteen words, four hidden groups — but it humbles more players than Wordle ever did. This guide covers the rules, what the color system actually tells you, and the habits that turn frustrated guessers into consistent winners.
The Rules in 60 Seconds
- You're shown a 4×4 grid of sixteen words.
- Your job: sort them into four groups of four, where each group shares a hidden connection.
- Select four words and hit Submit. Correct groups lock in and reveal their category.
- You get four mistakes. A fifth wrong guess ends the game.
- A new puzzle drops daily at midnight local time, free on the NYT Games site and app.
What the Colors Mean
Each solved group is assigned a color that reflects its difficulty — but you only see the color after solving it:
| Color | Difficulty | What it usually looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 🟨 Yellow | Easiest | Straightforward synonyms or obvious categories: types of fruit, ways to walk. |
| 🟩 Green | Medium-easy | Concrete categories needing a bit of thought: things in a toolbox, yoga poses. |
| 🟦 Blue | Medium-hard | More specific knowledge: characters from a TV show, brands of something. |
| 🟪 Purple | Hardest | Wordplay: hidden words, homophones, "___ before/after X," add-a-letter tricks. |
5 Habits of Consistent Winners
1. Shuffle before you think
The default grid is not random — designers place misleading neighbors deliberately. Hit Shuffle the moment the board loads so you see the words with fresh eyes.
2. Count your candidates
If you spot a "group" with five or six possible members, it's a trap. Real groups have exactly four. Solve the cleaner groups first and let elimination do the work.
3. Say the words out loud
Homophone categories ("sounds like a letter": BEE, SEA, WHY, EWE) are invisible on paper but obvious when spoken. This single habit cracks most purple groups.
4. Look for the weird word
Every board has one word that seems to fit nothing — an odd proper noun, an unusual spelling. That word often anchors the trickiest group. Ask: what is strange about this word itself?
5. Bank your mistakes
Never spend your fourth life on a guess you're not sure about. With one life left, only submit groups you'd bet money on — or walk away and come back with fresh eyes.
Common Purple-Group Tricks to Memorize
- Hidden words: TEN in TENNIS, ART in CARTOON.
- ___ + word / word + ___: FIRE + truck, drill, alarm, escape.
- Homophones: Words that sound like letters, numbers or other words.
- Add/remove a letter: Words that become new words when you drop the first letter.
- Anagrams: Four words that each unscramble into something related.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NYT Connections free?
Yes. One new puzzle is free every day on the NYT Games website and app. A subscription unlocks the archive and stats.
What happens when I run out of mistakes?
After four wrong guesses the game ends and all groups are revealed. Your streak resets, but you can try again tomorrow — and our daily hints page can help you keep the next streak alive.
What's a good Connections win rate?
Casual players win roughly half their games. If you're above 70%, you're genuinely strong — the average board is designed to burn at least one or two of your mistakes.