Connections Game: Play Daily and Unlimited

Play Connections online for free

Connections is a word sorting puzzle with a simple goal: find four groups of four words that belong together. On this page you get a new board every day, plus unlimited extra puzzles whenever you want more. It takes about five minutes, works on any device and needs no account or download.

If you enjoy the NYT Connections puzzle, you will feel at home here. The rules are familiar, but every board on this page is written for our site, so you can play here as well as the official game rather than instead of it.

How to play Connections

1. Read all 16 words first. Do not tap anything yet. Say a few out loud and notice which ones could belong to more than one group.
2. Pick four words. Tap the four you think share a link, then press Submit.
3. Watch your mistakes. A correct group locks in with its colour. A wrong guess costs one of your four lives.
4. Finish the board. Clear all four groups to win, then come back tomorrow to keep your daily streak going.

What kind of groups will you find?

The groups are not always as simple as they first look. Here are the types you will see most often:

• Plain categories. Planets, kitchen tools, dog breeds or card games.
• Words with a similar meaning. Words such as QUICK, RAPID, BRISK and HASTY all mean fast.
• Fill in the blank. Each word fits the same missing word, such as BASKET, FOOT, SNOW and VOLLEY before ball.
• Word play. Hidden numbers, silent letters, palindromes, rhymes and words that sound like letters.

Tips for solving faster

Look for the trap first

Most boards contain a word that fits two groups. If you can spot five possible words for one category, stop and ask which of them is needed somewhere else. Solving that overlap usually unlocks the whole board.

Start with the narrowest group

Leave broad categories until last. A tight group, such as chess pieces, has few possible members and tells you exactly where a shared word belongs. A broad group, such as things in a house, can swallow almost anything.

Think about spelling and sound

The hardest group is often about the word itself rather than its meaning. If four words seem to have nothing in common, look for hidden words inside them, or try adding a word before or after each one.

Shuffle when you are stuck

The first layout can trick your eye into seeing links that are not there. Press Shuffle to see the words in a new order, and new pairs often jump out.

Do not rush your last two lives

When you have two mistakes left, pause before you submit. Check that every word in your group fits better there than anywhere else on the board.

Daily puzzle and unlimited play

The daily board is the same for everyone and resets once a day, which makes it perfect for keeping a streak or comparing results with friends. When you have finished, press New puzzle and keep going for as long as you like. Extra puzzles are good practice, especially if you want to get better at spotting word play groups.

Why word puzzles are worth five minutes

Short word games make a good daily habit. Connections asks you to think flexibly about what words mean, how they sound and how they are spelled. You also pick up new vocabulary and categories along the way. And unlike long games, you can finish a board during a coffee break and still feel you have achieved something.

Try our Wordle game too

Enjoy word puzzles? Play our free Wordle game, where you guess a five letter word in six tries, with a new word every day and an unlimited mode for extra practice. You can also browse the full library of free games, including word, logic, tile matching and card games.

Stuck on the official puzzle?

We publish spoiler free clues in our Connections hints and answers section, and there are Wordle hints as well. Each guide gives you small nudges first, so you can decide how much help you want.

Frequently asked questions