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 455th Connections game to get you started:
- Yellow: Related to baking.
- Green: When you feel intense emotion.
- Blue: Various kinds of religious leaders.
- Purple: There is a missing word.
If you still need help, the actual group names are:
- Yellow: Verbs in a Cake Recipe
- Green: What a Heart Does When Excited
- Blue: Ecclesiastical Titles
- Purple: ____ Boys
Today’s NYT Connections Answers
Verbs in a Cake Recipe (Yellow):
Bake, Beat, Frost, Preheat
What a Heart Does When Excited (Green):
Pound, Pump, Race, Throb
Ecclesiastical Titles (Blue):
Bishop, Pastor, Pope, Prior
____ Boys (Purple):
Bad, Beach, Hardy, Pet Shop
How Did We Solve This Connections Game?
The 455th puzzle was a bit harder than yesterday’s game for me.
The first group I figured out was Yellow, “Verbs in a Cake Recipe.” Bake, beat, frost, and preheat really only apply to cooking, and absolutely nothing else on the board reminded me of cooking.
Pound, pump, race, and throb were all words I associated with intense exercise, and once again, nothing else really seemed to match. They were in the Green group, “What a Heart Does When Excited.”
Bishop, Pastor, Pope, and Prior are all terms I associate with religious titles, so I stuck them in a group together. They were in the Blue group, “Ecclesiastical Titles.”
That left bad, beach, hardy, and pet shop—yet another set of words in Purple that I’d never in a million years figure out if I had to actually guess it. The Purple group was “____ Boys.”
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.
- Look for similar parts of speech. Are some words verbs and others nouns? Are some adjectives? Try mentally grouping them based on those categories and see if any other patterns jump out at you.
- Are the words synonyms? Sometimes categories will just be synonyms for a phrase, or very close to synonyms. Don’t rely too closely on this, though. Occasionally, Connections will deliberately throw in words that are sometimes synonyms to mislead you.
- Try saying the words. Sometimes, saying the words helps. One puzzle we saw included the words go, rate, faster, clip, pace, speed, move, commute, and hurry—all of which are obviously related to the idea of motion. However, when you say them, it becomes a little more obvious that only four (go, move, hurry, faster) are things you’d actually say to prompt someone to get moving.
- Expect the red herring. Connections usually has words that could be plausibly, yet incorrectly, grouped together. Take the words Bud, Corona, and Light, as an example. You might instinctively see those three words together and assume they’re lumped together in a category related to beer—but they weren’t.
- Look for distinct words. If a word on your board doesn’t have multiple meanings or can really only be used in one context, try using that word as the basis for a category.
- Shuffle the board. Sometimes, moving words around will help you look at them in new ways.
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.
