The New York Times has launched a word game that’s capturing attention for its clever twist: finding “connections” among words. Each day, after midnight, a new challenge appears with a fresh set of words, making the game progressively more challenging. Here are some tips and strategies to help you succeed.
If you’re interested in today’s solution specifically, check out the Connections solution for August 12 at the end of this guide. But if you’d rather try solving it on your own, keep reading for some helpful hints and gameplay tips.
What is Connections?
This popular word game, designed by Wyna Liu, Associate Editor for Puzzles at The New York Times, has quickly gained a following on social media. Connections can be played on web browsers and mobile devices, challenging players to identify groups of four words that have a common link.
How to Play
Each Connections puzzle features 16 words, which can be divided into four categories. These categories might include themes like book titles, tech software, countries, or more. Although some words might appear to belong to multiple categories, each group has a single correct answer. When you successfully match all four words in a category, they are removed from the board. You can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.
Extra Gameplay Tips
You can rearrange the words to spot connections more easily, and each group is color-coded: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple in increasing difficulty. Once you’ve completed the game, you can share your results on social media.
Helpful Hints for Today’s Puzzle
If you want hints without the exact answers, here’s a quick guide to today’s categories:
- Yellow: Metal elements
- Green: Mattress sizes
- Blue: Toilet slang
- Purple: Types of knives
Today’s Connections Solution (Puzzle #428)
- Metal elements: Gold, Lead, Mercury, Tin
- Mattress sizes: Full, King, Queen, Twin
- Toilet slang: Can, Head, John, Sloan
- Knife types: Bowie, Butcher, Butter, Butterfly
If today’s challenge stumped you, don’t worry—Connections will be back tomorrow with a new set of words. Keep honing your skills, and check out these tips to improve your gameplay!
