Tag: NYT Connections

Connections is a new word puzzle from The New York Times that aims to be as universally appealing as Wordle. Instead of guessing a single word per day though, you have to devise a chain of related words between two given start and end points.

You’re presented with two unrelated start and end words and need to come up with a chain of words in between that only differ by one letter at each step.

Make Connections and Boost Your Vocabulary with This Word Game

Connections challenges you to form a chain of words by changing one letter at a time between two given start and end points. Learn how this ambitious follow up to Wordle works.

How to Play Connections

Connections is a word chain brain game created by The New York Times. The goal is to form a chain of words by changing one letter at a time.

You are given two random starting words and must come up with a chain of words that connect them. The rules are:

• Each word in the chain can only differ by one letter from the previous word.
• The first and last word must match the given starting and ending words.
• Proper nouns and plurals formed by just adding an “s” are not allowed.

For example, if the starting word is “cake” and the ending word is “leaf”, a possible chain would be:

• cake
• came
• coke
• code
• cone
• leer
• leaf

Benefits of Playing Connections

Playing Connections regularly has several cognitive benefits:

• It strengthens your vocabulary by exposing you to new and obscure words.
• It exercises your creativity by making connections between seemingly unrelated words.
• It improves spelling skills by forcing you to visualize how words are spelled.
• It improves focus and concentration by challenging your brain.
• It can be a social activity if played with friends and family.

Why Connections is Fun

What makes Connections different from other word puzzles is the creative freedom it provides. There are usually multiple valid chains between two words so there’s no single “correct” answer. It challenges you to:

• Make lateral connections between words from any part of speech
• Draw from a broad vocabulary
• Think logically and systematically

Tips for Playing Connections

1. Don’t get stuck on the first or last words. Work backwards from the end word if needed.
2. Use prefixes,suffixes , and word roots to branch out in new directions.
3. Accept that some challenges are nearly impossible and move on.
4. Exercise patience. The best word chains often come to you after some thinking.