Working through the daily Connections puzzle can sometimes leave you feeling like you’re overlooking something obvious. This often happens when you come across a set of words before reaching the yellow category, which is intended to be the easiest to identify. When this occurs, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing a crucial clue, since the easiest category should logically be simpler to discover than the harder ones. Fortunately, with a few pointers from us, you can bypass that confusion and target the category you want to tackle first.
If you’re interested in trying another daily puzzle, the NYT Wordle game is a popular choice. Unlike Connections, where you search for categories, in Wordle, you focus on identifying words. However, the underlying idea is similar; you need to use reasoning to figure out which letters to keep and which ones to discard. Picking an effective starting word is essential for successfully solving these puzzles on your first attempt.
Getting extra hints for Connections can significantly ease your experience, especially when you’re feeling stuck. Today’s puzzle isn’t as challenging as some in the past, but putting the right words together might still present a challenge. There are many words that might look like they belong in one large category but are actually separate. With that in mind, here are four hints for you:
If these hints aren’t sufficient, we have even more to help you complete the puzzle. Next, we’ll reveal the category names, which could guide you to the solution all on your own.
| | BIT OF NEWSPAPER WRITING |
| | NOISY DISTURBANCE |
| | TABLE TENNIS NEEDS |
| | HOMOPHONES OF COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS |
| BIT OF NEWSPAPER WRITING | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTICLE | COLUMN | FEATURE | STORY |
If you write for an online news outlet, this category will likely be straightforward to recognize. However, if you’re less familiar with journalism terms, some of these might not resonate. This category interestingly includes no sports terminology, which might be an advantage. It’s amusing to think that a newspaper editor devised this category—they might have been looking for an easy subject when creating this challenge.
| NOISY DISTURBANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| CLATTER | RACKET | ROW | RUCKUS |
You may find that these words don’t all seem to fit in with the rest of the puzzle. Among words like PADDLE, NET, and OAR, RACKET and ROW might lead you to assume they belong in another category. I certainly made the mistake of grouping all the paddle-like items together and was left frustrated when that didn’t work. However, once I adjusted my perspective, I saw that CLATTER and RUCKUS can serve as synonyms for a couple of these words, offering a different understanding.
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The NYT Spelling Bee puzzles are designed to build a streak of correct answers to earn you more points, but they can be tough to maintain.
| TABLE TENNIS NEEDS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| BALL | NET | PADDLE | TABLE |
Without grouping other words with PADDLE, I needed to shift my focus. When I noticed BALL and NET, I started to think it was likely linked to some kind of tennis. After a moment, I realized it referred to TABLE, which helped me complete the rest of the puzzle. In fact, this clue was particularly useful because it allowed me to rule out OAR and FORE from the other sports-related words.
| CATEGORY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ANSWER | ANSWER | ANSWER | ANSWER |
Concluding today’s puzzle, there are several words that seem similar but actually refer back to a collection of coordinating conjunctions. I often find this type of category challenging, especially since some definitions seem to overlap with others in the puzzle itself. However, that added challenge is what makes it enjoyable to solve. Luckily, I managed to complete the rest of the puzzle beforehand, leaving me with a playful eye-roll when I discovered this category.
Once you’ve tackled this puzzle, you’ll find a variety of other games waiting for you to try. Among these is the Worldle, a fun way to discover new information about various countries.
| Game Name | How To Play | Is It Free To Play? |
|---|---|---|
| Wordle (NYT) | Guess a random five-letter word with the help of color clues. You can find all Wordle solutions in our regularly updated list. | Yes |
| This game operates much like Wordle, but allows players to adjust the number of letters in their word. | Yes | |
| Craft a password in this shifting and tricky game. Tips can be found in our Password Game guide. | Yes | |
| Identify a country based only on its silhouette and a few geographical hints. | Yes |
