Another day, another Connections puzzle. And if this is your first time giving the popular game a try, Newsweek has all of the information to get you started.
Connections was launched in beta phase in June 2023, after The New York Times‘ associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu helped to create the word game and bring it to the news outlet’s Games section. Subsequently, it has become a viral hit.
The brainteaser expands on the skills employed in Wordle. While Wordle, which was created by Josh Wardle, requires players to find one word a day, Connections sets players on a mission to uncover common threads between a series of words.
Like Wordle, the new game can be played online on web browsers and mobile devices. It is already the Times‘ second most-played game, behind Wordle.
How to Play ‘Connections’
Connections players are required to group four different words that share a common theme. Each puzzle consists of 16 words, with each group of words separated into four categories. The uniting themes could be anything from country names to book titles to household products—the (English) linguistic sky is the limit.
While it may seem as though multiple words could fit together, tread with caution: there is only one correct answer. If all four words are correctly placed into each set, those words will be removed from the board. Each incorrect guess counts toward the mistake tally. Players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.
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Should it make the process of guessing the connections easier, players can shuffle and rearrange the board.
The board also has a color-coding system representing levels of difficulty. Yellow represents the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. A group’s color will only be revealed once they have been correctly connected.
Perhaps adding to Connections‘ viral appeal, players can shared their results on social media.
Now that Newsweek has warmed you up with a brief overview, it’s time to jump into the action with some helpful hints, as well as the answers. The answers will be revealed at the end of this article, so please scroll down with caution if you want to work them out for yourself.
‘Connections’ #305 Clues for Thursday, April 11
Newsweek has some hints to help you figure out today’s Connections categories.
Yellow: These words are associated with hairstyles.
Green: For this group, think of how we get measurements.
Blue: Each of these words help to bring vital supplies to homes.
Purple: These words are associated with the images we see when buying food.
‘Connections’ #305 Answers for Thursday, April 11
Yellow Category: HAIRCUTS, WITH ‘CUTS’
Yellow Words: Bowl, Buzz, Crew, Pixie
Green Category: MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
Green Words: Compass, Ruler, Scale, Watch
Blue Category: WATER AND GAS CONDUITS
Blue Words: Channel, Line, Main, Pipe
Purple Category: FAST FOOD MASCOTS
Purple Words: Clown, Colonel, King, Mermaid
Did you guess the answers correctly? If so, congratulations. If not, there will be another opportunity to crack the puzzle tomorrow.
Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone. Newsweek will be back with another round of hints and tips for each new game.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.