Discover the Thrill of Connections: A Word Association Game from The New York Times

Are you tired of playing the same old word games? Look no further than Connections, a word association game from The New York Times that challenges players to think creatively and make connections between seemingly unrelated words.

How to Play Connections

Connections is a word association game that requires players to match four words on a grid of sixteen together into four groups. Players must select the four words they believe fit together, then click the 'Submit' button. The game will inform the player if they're correct by rearranging the words into a colored block at the top of the screen. If, however, the player is incorrect, the words will vibrate, and players will lose one of their four lives. If a player runs out of lives, they'll fail the game for that day but will still see the answers.

Groups of answers are arranged by color according to their difficulty, going from yellow as the easiest through green and blue, then purple as the trickiest. The only place fans can play Connections is the official website via The New York Times.

Why Play Connections?

Connections is a great way to challenge your brain and improve your word association skills. With new puzzles every day, you'll never get bored. Plus, the game is in beta, so you'll be one of the first to experience the thrill of Connections.

Today's Connections Answer

Since we'll no longer be updating this post daily, we've got the answers for the past week or so listed below. Players should use the list below to get an idea of what the latest word associations might be, giving them a leg up on the competition in the future.

Connections Answer for March 13, 2024 (#276)

• Group 1 - Halloween purchases: CANDY, COSTUME, DECORATIONS, PUMPKIN
• Group 2 - Plants with similar flavors: ANISE, FENNEL, LICORICE, TARRAGON
• Group 3 - Food slang for head: BEAN, MELON, NOODLE, NUT
• Group 4 - Gemstone cuts: BAGUETTE, EMERALD, PRINCESS, RADIANT

Connections Answer for March 12, 2024 (#275)

• Group 1 - Section: CLASS, DIVISION, RANK, TIER
• Group 2 - Including: ALSO, AND, PLUS, WITH
• Group 3 - Dog breeds, informally: BOSTON, GOLDEN, LAB, PIT
• Group 4 - Famous poems: DADDY, HARLEM, HOWL, IF

Connections Answer for March 11, 2024 (#274)

• Group 1 - Treat with excessive care: BABY, MOTHER, PAMPER, SPOIL
• Group 2 - Backside: BOOTY, BUM, CAN, REAR
• Group 3 - Things in a spa locker room: ROBE, SLIPPERS, TOWEL, WASHCLOTH
• Group 4 - Cat's ___: CRADLE, EYE, MEOW, PAJAMAS

Connections Answer for March 10, 2024 (#273)

• Group 1 - Things a dog can fetch: BALL, BONE, FRISBEE, STICK
• Group 2 - Conceal: BLOCK, COVER, HIDE, OBSCURE
• Group 3 - Mac keyboard keys: COMMAND, CONTROL, OPTION, SHIFT
• Group 4 - Experience a memory lapse: BLANK, FLAKE, FORGET, SPACE

Why is Connections in Beta?

At the time of writing, Connections is in beta on The New York Times website. This means it's not final and subject to change, though we suspect the formula will remain close to what we've explained above. The thing that's likely to be in beta is the difficulty since the development team will be trying to work out a way to automate the puzzles without them being too easy or too challenging for players.