Stuck on today’s 16-word grid? Use our interactive NYT Connections Helper to reveal a subtle connections hint, check group colors, or view full answers to protect your winning streak.
While Wordle often grabs the headlines in The New York Times Games library, Connections—which debuted in June 2023—has quietly become an obsession for daily puzzle fans. Instead of deducing a single five-letter word, Connections challenges you to sort 16 seemingly random words into four hidden categories.
Because the puzzle only allows four mistakes before ending your run, one clever red herring can easily break a hard-earned streak. That is exactly why we built our interactive Connections Helper: to give you just the right amount of assistance—whether you want a gentle connections hint or the complete solution grid.
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How to Use Our NYT Connections Helper
Designed to mirror the familiar 4×4 layout of the official game, our solver lets you control how much help you receive so you don’t spoil the fun of solving the rest of the board yourself:
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Reveal Individual Word Colors: If you are stuck on a tricky word, tap that specific tile in the helper to uncover its difficulty color (Yellow, Green, Blue, or Purple) without exposing the rest of the group.
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Uncover Category Names: Need a nudge on the theme? Head to the Group Names section and click “Click to Reveal” on any color bar to see the exact category title—leaving you to hunt down the four matching words on your own.
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Show the Full Board: Down to your final life and just want to protect your streak? Click Reveal All Answers to color-code all 16 tiles at once.
Smart Clues vs. Full Solutions: Play Your Way
Whether you consider it a strategic connections hint tool or a quick backup solver, the helper is updated daily to match the latest NYT grid. Many players prefer revealing just the Purple category name—usually the trickiest group on the board—and solving the remaining three categories manually. If you have ideas for new features or hint modes, drop us a note through our feedback link anytime.
How NYT Connections Works
Edited by NYT associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, Connections tests lateral thinking, wordplay, and pop-culture knowledge. Every daily puzzle presents 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four.
The catch? Many words are deliberately chosen to fit multiple overlapping themes—meaning the most obvious four-word grouping is often a trap. Each of the four groups corresponds to a color-coded difficulty tier:
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Yellow: The most straightforward category, typically based on direct synonyms or clear definitions.
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Green & Blue: Moderate-to-challenging categories involving specific trivia, shared attributes, or slightly less obvious connections.
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Purple: The trickiest group on the board, often built around wordplay, homophones, hidden prefixes/suffixes, or fill-in-the-blank phrases (such as “___ BOYS”).
You have up to four incorrect submissions per game. Selecting four matching words locks in that category; making four mistakes ends the puzzle and reveals the remaining answers.
Browse Past Puzzles in the Connections History Tab
Missed yesterday’s grid or want to practice spotting Wyna Liu’s favorite wordplay patterns? Check out the Connections History tab inside our helper. It archives the past six days of puzzles, complete with categories and solutions—making it an ideal warm-up tool for newer players learning how the game thinks.
Explore More Daily Word Game Solvers
Finished today’s Connections board and looking for your next daily brain teaser? Check out our companion guides and solvers for the rest of The New York Times puzzle lineup:
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NYT Wordle Solver
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Archive of Recent Wordle Answers
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NYT Strands Hints and Answers
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Spelling Bee Solver
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NYT Mini Crossword Answers
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