The New York Times daily Connections puzzle challenges players to group sixteen words into four categories of four, testing vocabulary and pattern recognition. Today’s puzzle (#942) proved particularly difficult for some, with a notably challenging blue category. Here’s a breakdown of the solutions, along with insights into previous tough puzzles.
Today’s Puzzle Breakdown
The puzzle groups were as follows:
- Yellow: Words relating to physical or emotional responses. The answers are chill, goosebump, shiver, and tingle.
- Green: Actions that violate regulations or social norms. The correct words are jaywalk, litter, loiter, and speed.
- Blue: Examples of simple machines classified as first-class levers. These are clothespin, crowbar, scissors, and seesaw.
- Purple: Candy bars with unique names. The answers include aeroplane (Aero), dovetail (Dove), heathers (Heath), and marsala (Mars).
Tools for Players
The New York Times now offers a Connections Bot, similar to the one for Wordle, allowing players to track their performance. This includes statistics on puzzle completion, win rate, and streak length.
The Puzzle’s Difficulty
The puzzle’s difficulty is often subjective. The purple category, based on candy bar names, was cited as being particularly challenging. The blue category, focused on first-class levers, also presented difficulty for some players.
Past Tough Puzzles
Previous Connections puzzles have also posed challenges due to abstract or unconventional categories. Some of the most difficult past puzzles included:
- Puzzle #5: Grouping “things you can set” (mood, record, table, volleyball).
- Puzzle #4: Finding connections between “one in a dozen” (egg, juror, month, rose).
- Puzzle #3: Identifying “streets on screen” (Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame).
- Puzzle #2: Linking “power ___” (nap, plant, Ranger, trip).
- Puzzle #1: Combining “things that can run” (candidate, faucet, mascara, nose).
These puzzles demonstrate that the game’s difficulty varies, depending on word associations and the specificity of the categories. The New York Times Connections remains a popular daily challenge for word puzzle enthusiasts.
