Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn’t—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they’re usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we’ve got you covered.
What Is Connections?
Connections is a game from the New York Times. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4. Each group of words will be connected by some common idea or theme. That common element could be anything. We have seen everything from games that rely on the number of letters in the words to categories that require you to spot an extra letter at the end of the word. Sometimes they’re references to economics, other times they reference fairy tales. There is no telling what sort of association there will be between words.
Once you’re confident you understand the connection, select 4 words, then hit “Submit.” You have only four attempts in total, so don’t be too guess-happy.
Hints for Today’s Connections Groups
Here are a few hints for the 359th Connections game to get you started:
How Did We Solve This Connections Game?
June 4th’s game seemed easier than June 3rd’s puzzle.
The first word I started with was hat. By happy coincidence, I’m rereading the Lord of the Rings, and Gandalf is on my mind. That made picking out beard, hat, robe, and staff as “Parts of a Wizard Costume” (Green), easier than it might have been normally.
Next, I looked at bridge. Bridge can be a verb that means to connect, but it can also refer to a structure used to span across geographical obstacles, or a part of a ship. The last definition fits well with deck, hatch, and keel, so I assumed that there was a connection related to boats. Blue was “Found on a Ship.”
With 8 words left, earn, make, net, and clear are obviously terms related to net income somehow. Yellow was “Take Home, as Income.”
That left Purple. Yesterday’s game put a letter directly in front of the remaining words, and that pattern carried through today. Instead of placing B in front of the words, the connection was “C-______.” C-clef, c-section, c-span, and c-suite. Not too hard, but a little surprising that the exact same formula was used two days in a row.
How Do You Guess Connections Groups?
There is no quick, reliable way to approach Connections like there is with Wordle, since Connections isn’t algorithmic. However, there are a few things to keep in mind that can help.
If you didn’t solve this one, don’t feel too bad—there’s always tomorrow! And those words may align with a topic you’re interested in, giving you a leg up on the competition.
