If you’re looking for a fun word game to stimulate your intellect and flex your brain power, look no further than The New York Times game, Connections.
Connections, which is a word game created by The New York Times, is the perfect activity for people who enjoy clever challenges and solving puzzles, whether tricky or straightforward. Try to solve the puzzle for today (Friday, January 24, 2025) below!
People engaged in games on their phones, photo taken on April 26, 2019. | Source: Pexels
What Is Connections
As described by the news outlet, Connections tasks game players to uncover themes between words they are given to play.
The New York Times’ Connections game. | Source: Getty Images
How to Play
Sixteen words are given to players. Following this, you have to split these words into groups of four based on the themes they have in common.
For example, should you get words like Salmon, Flounder, Bass, and Trout, you may notice that what all these terms share in common is the fact that they are all different types of fish.
A kid playing with a word puzzle, photo taken on March 22, 2021. | Source: Pexels
However, not all words will be as straightforward as the aforementioned ones, as you may come across more complex terms such as Island, Opal, Drill, and Ant, which are things that can begin with the word “fire.”
Adding another layer of complexity is the fact that each puzzle has only one solution and, according to The New York Times, “is meant to be tricky by having words that could fit into multiple categories.” All words and categories come from a curated list from the Oxford Dictionary.
A man concentrating on something on his phone, photo taken on January 17, 2021. | Source: Pexels
Additionally, different colors are assigned to each group. These include Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple, with Purple being the trickiest and Yellow being the easiest.
A spectrum of colors, photo uploaded on July 30, 2018. | Source: Pexels
When to Play
Connections, which doesn’t require players to sign in or register for an account with The New York Times to play, can access the daily game on the outlet’s website, Game app, or the New York Times News app Play tab, at midnight in their respective timezones.
A man playing a game on his smartphone, photo taken on March 21, 2021. | Source: Getty Images
Today’s 16 Words
Today’s difficulty level is 2.8 out of 5. Connections’ difficulty level is determined by “averaging the ratings provided by a panel of testers who are paid to solve each puzzle in advance.”
The 16 words for today’s puzzle are as follows: Litter; Nicotine; Rough; Trade; Cabbage; Brood; Line; Point; Reflect; Stare; Interrupt; Work; Craft; Muse; Soul, and Ponder. Should you want to continue onto the hints, scroll down, if not, this may be a good time to pause!
A man staring at his phone while sitting on the stairs, photo uploaded on March 31, 2021. | Source: Pexels
Today’s Hints
Find some hints for some of today’s words below:
Connections Words:
- 🟨 Yellow: Reflect
- 🟩 Green: Stare
- 🟦 Blue: Trade
- 🟪 Purple: Soul
Connections Groups:
- 🟨 Yellow: Ruminate
- 🟩 Green: Impolite actions
- 🟦 Blue: Area of expertise
- 🟪 Purple: “Pumpkin” would fit in this category
If you think you’ve got the answers figured out, feel free to scroll further to see if you got them right. However, if you’re still working your way through the puzzle and are not interested in any spoilers, now’s the time to stop scrolling!
A man smiling at something on his phone, photo taken on May 9, 2023. | Source: Pexels
Today’s Answers
Yellow: Contemplate
- BROOD
- MUSE
- PONDER
- REFLECT
Green: Rude Things to Do
- INTERRUPT
- LITTER
- POINT
- STARE
Blue: Vocation
- CRAFT
- LINE
- TRADE
- WORK
Purple: ___Patch
- CABBAGE
- NICOTINE
- ROUGH
- SOUL
With that, the Connections puzzle for today (Friday) is now over! Stay sharp for the next one that will drop at midnight!
