๐ช NYT ConnectionsGuides, Codes & Tips
NYT Connections is the New York Times daily word-grouping puzzle where you sort 16 words into four hidden categories, color-coded from Yellow (easiest) to Purple (hardest). Launched in beta on June 12, 2023, and edited by Wyna Liu, it has been played more than 3.3 billion times โ making it the second-most-played NYT Games title of all time. This hub collects today's hints and answers, a full archive of past puzzles, and the strategy knowledge you need to keep your streak alive.
How to Play NYT Connections
Each day you are presented with a 4x4 grid of 16 words. Your goal is to find four groups of four words that share a common theme โ the theme might be a shared category, a word that can follow or precede each item, or a subtle pattern only visible once you spot it. Select four words and tap Submit; a correct guess removes those four tiles and reveals the category name. Four incorrect guesses ends the game, so every mistake counts. A new puzzle drops at midnight ET every day.
The Four Difficulty Colors Explained
Every puzzle has exactly one Yellow group (the most straightforward connection), one Green group (a step harder), one Blue group (often involves lateral thinking or wordplay), and one Purple group (the trickiest, frequently built around multi-step wordplay, phrase completion, or niche cultural references). The color reveal happens only after you solve a group correctly, so you have to judge difficulty yourself as you play. The NYT never tells you which color a group is before you submit.
Today's Hints and Answer
We publish spoiler-free category hints each morning โ one sentence per color group that nudges you toward the theme without giving away the words. If you want the full solution, a clearly marked reveal section shows all four category names and their 16 words. Puzzle numbers increment by one each day; as of mid-June 2026 the daily counter has passed #1099, so there are well over a thousand puzzles in the archive.
Winning Strategy and Tips
Experienced solvers recommend starting with Yellow to bank an easy win and preserve mistakes for harder groups. Study each word individually for alternate meanings, prefixes, or suffixes before committing to any group โ the puzzle is deliberately seeded with red herrings. The Purple group is almost always some form of wordplay (phrase completion, word transformation, or hidden words), so if a straightforward category reading fails, think laterally. When you are down to the final four words, Purple solves itself by elimination, so protecting your remaining guesses to reach that point is a core strategy.
Past Answers Archive
Every Connections puzzle since the June 2023 beta is catalogued here, searchable by date and puzzle number. Each archived entry lists the four category names, all 16 words, and difficulty color. The archive is useful for studying recurring theme types โ word-after, word-before, ___ of ___, and brand-name categories appear frequently โ and for catching up on any puzzle you missed.
About the Puzzle and Its Editor
Connections was created at the New York Times as part of an internal annual Game Jam and quickly became one of the fastest-growing games the company has ever launched. Wyna Liu, hired as a puzzle editor in 2020, has edited every daily Connections board since launch. Liu is known for voicey, sometimes controversial category names โ groups referencing niche pop-culture moments, deliberate misspellings, or personal touches โ which has earned the game its reputation as both beloved and maddening. The puzzle is free to play on NYT Games with a registered account.
NYT Connections FAQ
Where can I find today's NYT Connections answer?
Our daily answer page is updated each morning with spoiler-free hints first, then a full solution reveal below a clear warning. The page is live before 7 a.m. ET every day.
How many mistakes are you allowed in NYT Connections?
You get four mistakes total. Each wrong guess costs one, and a fourth incorrect submission ends the game. The puzzle tracks your mistake count with colored dots at the top of the board.
What does the purple category in Connections mean?
Purple is the hardest of the four difficulty levels. Purple categories almost always involve some form of wordplay โ words that can follow a hidden word, phrases with a missing piece, or deliberately tricky cultural references designed to mislead you.
Can I play old NYT Connections puzzles?
The official NYT site does not offer free replay of past puzzles. However, our archive lists every category and answer from every puzzle since June 2023, and several third-party fan sites recreate past boards for practice.
When did NYT Connections launch?
Connections entered public beta on June 12, 2023, and officially launched on the NYT Games platform in August 2023. As of June 2026 there are over 1,099 daily puzzles in the archive.
Who makes the NYT Connections puzzle?
Every puzzle is edited by Wyna Liu, a New York Times puzzle editor and jewelry designer who has helmed Connections since its inception at an internal NYT Game Jam.
