NYT Connections Hints & Answers for January 9, 2025 (Game #943)

You're staring at four words on your screen. Maybe five minutes have passed. You've tried three different groupings and none of them worked. Your streak is on the line. Sound familiar?

This is the daily reality for thousands of people playing the New York Times' Connections puzzle, the devilishly clever word game that's taken over where Wordle left off. Unlike Wordle, which asks you to guess a single five-letter word, Connections challenges you to find patterns in a grid of sixteen words, grouping them into four sets of four based on hidden connections.

Today's puzzle—game number 943—is another beast entirely. The difficulty jumps around unpredictably. Some days feel laughably easy. Other days, you'll spend forty minutes convinced that the obvious grouping must be wrong because there's no way it can be that straightforward.

This is where strategy comes in. And this is where we help.

I've been playing Connections daily since the game's release, watching patterns emerge, noticing tricks the puzzle makers use to mislead you. I've seen the wordplay traps, the double meanings, the obscure pop culture references. After months of daily play and hundreds of puzzles solved, I've learned what works and what doesn't.

Here's the critical thing about Connections that separates it from other word games: it's not just about knowing words. It's about thinking like the puzzle creator. The New York Times deliberately plants false leads. They write hints that sound obvious but point in the wrong direction. They group words that could connect in multiple ways, forcing you to figure out which connection the puzzle actually wants.

Today's puzzle has four distinct categories. We'll walk through each one—starting with hints vague enough to give you a genuine chance to solve it yourself, then progressively revealing more information, until finally showing you the complete answers with explanation of the trickiest groupings.

But before we dive in, let's talk about why this matters. Your daily Connections streak isn't just about bragging rights. It's a mental exercise. It trains pattern recognition, lateral thinking, and cultural literacy. You're exercising your brain every single day. That's worth protecting.

TL; DR

• Yellow Group (Easiest): Things that are naturally red or colored red, including 3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP
• Green Group (Medium): Words used in precarious situation metaphors: 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE
• Blue Group (Hard): Musical artists with missing starting numbers: 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES
• Purple Group (Hardest): Cardinal directions with first letter changed to create words: COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST
• Solving Strategy: Look for category themes first, watch for homophones and wordplay, use elimination when stuck

Estimated distribution of difficulty levels in NYT Connections puzzles. Each color represents a different challenge level, with purple being the hardest.

How Connections Works: The Mechanics

Before tackling today's puzzle, let's make sure you understand the core mechanics. Connections isn't complicated, but it has subtle rules that trip people up constantly.

You get sixteen words arranged in a grid. Your job is to identify four groups of four related words. Each group shares a common theme or connection. Here's the twist: the connections aren't always obvious, and they're not always what they seem.

The game color-codes difficulty: yellow is easiest, green is moderate, blue is tough, and purple is brutally difficult. This doesn't mean the yellow group is literally easier—sometimes the puzzle reverses this. But generally, you'll want to start with yellow and work your way up.

You get four mistakes before failing. This is actually generous. It means you can take risks, test theories, see if you're on the right track. Many players use their first mistake as market research: throw in a risky guess, see if you're even close, then regroup.

The genius of Connections is that every single word in the grid belongs to exactly one group. There's no word that could fit in two categories. The puzzle makers are meticulous about this. Which means if you're torn between two interpretations, one of them is almost certainly wrong.

This is crucial psychology. Most people stop analyzing once they find a connection. Expert Connections players keep digging, because the puzzle is specifically designed to reward deeper thinking.

Estimated data shows an even distribution of difficulty levels in the Connections game, highlighting the balanced challenge across all categories.

Today's Puzzle: The Sixteen Words

Let's lay out what you're working with. The sixteen words for today's game are:

3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP, 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE, 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES, COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST

At first glance, you probably notice some patterns jumping out:

• Several words look like numbers are missing from the start (3 BALL, 8 BALL, 6 MAFIA, etc.)
• Several words seem like they could be metaphors or idioms (DEEP END, THIN ICE, LIMB)
• Some are cardinal directions scrambled (COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST)
• Some are just objects (HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP, CARDINAL)

But here's where people get trapped. The "missing numbers" grouping looks SO obvious that you immediately assume that's the answer. The puzzle makers know you'll think this. This is why understanding the meta-game matters.

They're deliberately creating false leads. They're putting words in the grid that sound like they should group together, knowing that obvious answer is actually wrong.

Yellow Group: Things That Are Red [Hint #1]

Let's start with what should be the easiest category: the yellow group.

The hint for this group is simple: these are things that are red or commonly associated with the color red.

Look at your sixteen words again. Which ones immediately strike you as red?

3 BALL - In pool, the 3 ball is red. (Obvious red thing) CARDINAL - The bird is bright red. (Obvious red thing) HEART EMOJI - The red heart emoji, quintessentially red. (Obvious red thing) SOLO CUP - The classic red plastic cup. (Obvious red thing)

This seems straightforward, right? These four items are all inherently red or universally recognized as red.

But here's the twist that catches people: RED HERRING, SCARLET LETTER, RED WEDDING—there are many famous cultural references to things being red. The puzzle makers could have included those instead. So why these four?

Because these four are the most obviously red things in the grid. And the yellow group is meant to be a warm-up, a confidence builder. You solve yellow first to set yourself up for the harder groups.

The psychology of Connections dictates that the easiest group establishes a baseline. You need to get it right to feel confident moving forward. Miss it, and doubt creeps in.

So your yellow group is: 3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP

Four red things. Simple. Clean. Correct.

Regular practice and strategic approaches lead to improved puzzle-solving efficiency over time. Estimated data shows a decrease in average solving time.

Green Group: Precarious Situations [Hint #2]

Now things get trickier. The green group has a more abstract connection—it's about metaphorical language rather than literal associations.

The hint: these four words are used in common expressions or metaphors that describe dangerous, precarious, or risky situations.

Look again:

8 BALL - "Behind the 8 ball" means in a difficult position. (Precarious situation idiom) DEEP END - "In over your head at the deep end" means in an overwhelming situation. (Precarious situation idiom) LIMB - "Going out on a limb" means taking a risk. (Precarious situation idiom) THIN ICE - "On thin ice" means in danger, one step away from consequences. (Precarious situation idiom)

Notice the pattern: all four of these are parts of common English idioms that describe risky or uncomfortable situations.

This is where Connections gets clever. The connection isn't about what these things are. It's about how they're used in language. This requires you to think beyond surface-level word associations into cultural and linguistic patterns.

Many players miss this grouping because they're fixated on the "missing number" pattern we discussed earlier. They see 8 BALL and immediately think "number connection" instead of "idiom connection."

The puzzle makers know that 8 BALL looks like it belongs with the other "numbers missing" group. This is intentional misdirection. They're testing whether you can see through the trap.

Your green group is: 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE

All things you find in precarious situation metaphors.

Blue Group: Musical Artists Minus Numbers [Hint #3]

This is where difficulty spikes. The blue group requires specific cultural knowledge about music and artists.

The hint: each of these is a musical artist or band name that is missing its starting number or numeral.

Let's break it down:

6 MAFIA - The rapper actually known as "Three 6 Mafia" (missing the "Three") (Rapper with missing starting number) CHAINZ - The rapper "2 Chainz" (missing the "2") (Rapper with missing starting number) DIRECTION - The boyband "One Direction" (missing the "One") (Band with missing starting number) NON BLONDES - The band "4 Non Blondes" (missing the "4") (Band with missing starting number)

Now you see why this is tricky. If you're not deeply familiar with hip-hop or late 2000s pop music, "6 MAFIA" might not immediately register as "Three 6 Mafia" with the number removed.

And here's the additional complexity: Two of these (CHAINZ and 6 MAFIA) are from the same general era and genre. One (DIRECTION) is from early 2010s pop. One (NON BLONDES) is from the 1990s. The time span is wide, which means the connection isn't about era or genre—it's specifically about "missing numbers in artist names."

This grouping catches people because:

1. It requires specific pop culture knowledge
2. The artists span different decades and genres
3. 6 MAFIA and CHAINZ look like they should belong together (similar era, similar format), but the real connection is broader
4. You might not recognize all four artists if you have music taste gaps

Your blue group is: 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES

All musical artists with missing starting numbers.

The words 'Oast' and 'Couth' are the most obscure, with 'Oast' being particularly niche due to its specific use in brewing. 'Forth' and 'Lest' are less obscure but still uncommon in modern speech.

Purple Group: Cardinal Directions with Modified Letters [Hint #4]

Here's the kicker. The purple group is the hardest, and it requires noticing a very specific wordplay pattern.

The hint: each of these is a cardinal direction with its first letter changed to create a new word.

This sounds abstract. Let's make it concrete:

COUTH - "South" with S changed to C. (Cardinal direction with first letter changed) FORTH - "North" with N changed to F. (Cardinal direction with first letter changed) LEST - "West" with W changed to L. (Cardinal direction with first letter changed) OAST - "East" with E changed to O. (Cardinal direction with first letter changed)

So we have:

• South → Couth
• North → Forth
• West → Lest
• East → Oast

But wait. "Couth" isn't a real word, is it? Actually, it is—it's an archaic term meaning sophistication or good manners. It's the opposite of "uncouth." Most people don't use it, but it exists.

"Forth" is a word—it means "forward" or "onward." You see it in "go forth and multiply."

"Lest" is definitely a word—it means "for fear that" or "in order to prevent." You see it in older writing constantly. "Lest we forget."

"Oast" is a word—it's a kiln for drying hops or malt in brewing. Super obscure, but legitimate.

The puzzle maker is banking on you knowing that these are all real words. The connection isn't obvious until you test whether removing the first letter reveals a cardinal direction.

This grouping is brutal because:

1. These words don't look like they relate to each other
2. Three of them (COUTH, FORTH, LEST) are relatively uncommon in modern speech
3. OAST is genuinely obscure unless you know something about brewing
4. The connection requires active hypothesis testing—you have to guess the pattern, then verify it
5. Even if you figure out the south/north/west/east pattern, you still need to recognize that these are valid English words

Your purple group is: COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST

All cardinal directions with first letters changed to create new words.

The Solving Strategy: How to Approach Connections

Now that we've walked through today's puzzle, let's talk about how to solve Connections puzzles in general. The strategies that work.

Start with What You Know

Begin with whichever group seems clearest to you. For most people, that's yellow. Get one group in, build momentum, feel confident. Even if yellow seems obvious, start there. Confidence matters.

Look for the Trick

Once you've identified what you think is a group, ask: "Is the puzzle maker trying to trick me here?" Often, the most obvious answer is wrong. The groups that seem straightforward usually are correct (yellow especially), but double-check. Ask whether each word could belong to multiple groups.

Use Process of Elimination

If you're stuck, don't keep guessing at the same grouping. Remove one word and see if the remaining three form a clearer pattern. Sometimes you find the connection by trial and error. The game allows four mistakes. Use them strategically.

Watch for Homophones and Wordplay

Connections loves homophones (words that sound the same), puns, anagrams, and hidden words. If a grouping seems too straightforward, check for wordplay. The puzzle might be using words that sound like they belong to one category but actually belong to another.

Recognize Category Structures

Connections puzzles follow patterns. Common category types include:

• Things that are [color/property]
• Things associated with [concept]
• Things used in [idiom/phrase]
• Words that are [other word] with [letter changed]
• Things with hidden/missing elements
• Things that sound like other things
• Cultural references from specific era/genre

Once you identify the structure, the connection becomes clearer.

Don't Overthink Difficult Groups

The purple group is hard partly because people overthink it. Sometimes the connection is exactly what it appears to be—there's no deeper layer of wordplay. Test your hypothesis. If it checks out, submit it.

The purple group typically takes players 3-5 minutes longer to solve than the blue group, indicating its higher complexity. Estimated data based on typical puzzle-solving times.

Common Mistakes People Make

After months of watching Connections players and playing hundreds of puzzles myself, I've noticed patterns in how people fail.

Mistake #1: Assuming Obvious Connections

People see 3 BALL, 8 BALL, 6 MAFIA, and think "obviously numbers." They forget that other words in the grid might also fit this pattern for different reasons. They never test whether HEART EMOJI could belong to a different group (which it doesn't, but they don't verify). Verify, always.

Mistake #2: Cultural Knowledge Gaps

If you're not familiar with Three 6 Mafia or Four Non Blondes, you miss the blue group entirely. Connections regularly includes artist names, song titles, movie references, historical figures, and cultural touchstones. If you get stuck, it might be because the puzzle requires knowledge you don't have. That's not a failure—that's just a knowledge gap. Come back to these groups last.

Mistake #3: Ignoring Wordplay

People focus on surface meaning and miss hidden connections. COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST don't look like cardinal directions, so people dismiss the group. But wordplay is the foundation of Connections. Learn to test for hidden words, missing letters, letter substitutions, and phonetic similarities.

Mistake #4: Forcing Connections

You find three words that definitely go together, then force a fourth word in because "it has to work." It doesn't. If you only have three solid connections, you've found three incorrect groupings. Rethink everything.

Mistake #5: Rushing Purple

Purple groups are hard partly because they're conceptually complex. People rush to purple, get frustrated, then give up or make wild guesses. Take your time. Purple groups often have elegant connections once you see them—but you have to look.

Today's Specific Challenges

Game #943 has a few tricks worth noting.

The False Number Connection

The single biggest trap in this puzzle is that three words—3 BALL, 8 BALL, 6 MAFIA—look like they belong together as "things with missing numbers." Add DIRECTION or NON BLONDES, and you have a plausible group. But it's wrong. The real connection is specifically about musical artists missing numbers, not just any object with a number.

This is intentional. The puzzle makers are seeing whether you'll go with the obvious surface-level connection or dig deeper.

The Cardinal Direction Obscurity

OAST is genuinely obscure. Many players have never encountered this word. If you don't know OAST, you can't solve the purple group through pattern recognition alone. You'd have to guess and check. But once you know OAST is valid, the group becomes clear.

The Idiom Recognition Requirement

The green group requires understanding that 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, and THIN ICE are all parts of famous idioms. If you think of these as independent objects or concepts, you'll miss the connection. You have to recognize the linguistic pattern.

The Red Things Simplicity

Yellow is almost too straightforward this game. This sometimes makes people suspicious. They overthink it. "Surely the puzzle isn't just asking for red things," they think. It is. Sometimes the most obvious answer is correct.

Estimated data shows that most players spend between 10 to 30 minutes on NYT Connections puzzles, with a smaller group taking over 40 minutes.

Why Connections Is More Difficult Than Wordle

Wordle asks one question: "What five-letter word fits these letter patterns?" It's a deduction puzzle with a clear logical framework.

Connections asks a different question: "What do these four words have in common?" This is orders of magnitude more complex because there's no logical framework. There's only pattern recognition, cultural knowledge, wordplay, and lateral thinking.

Wordle has one answer. Connections has multiple possible interpretations for every word. Your job is to figure out which interpretation the puzzle maker intended.

This is why Connections is harder. It requires you to think like a puzzle creator, not just a word decoder. You have to understand intent, misdirection, and the psychology of false leads.

It's also why Connections is more satisfying when you solve it. You're not just completing a puzzle. You're validating your ability to think the way someone else thinks. You're recognizing patterns that aren't explicit. You're proving that you understand language at a deeper level than simple word recognition.

Advanced Connections Strategy

If you've been playing Connections for months and still find yourself stuck, here are some advanced tactics.

Build a Mental Library

Start tracking patterns. Keep notes on which types of connections appear regularly. Common patterns include: artists missing numbers, things that are colors, things that sound like other things, things that are parts of idioms, things with letters replaced, things from specific decades or franchises.

Once you recognize these patterns, solving becomes faster because you immediately know what to look for.

Question Every Assumption

When you see a word, don't think "what is this?" Think "what else could this be?" CARDINAL is a bird, but it's also a number. DIRECTION could be a band, but it could also mean the concept of directional movement. SOLO CUP is a brand, but it's also a red cup. HEART EMOJI is an emotion, but it's also a red thing.

Multiple interpretations exist for almost everything. Your job is finding which interpretation connects to three other words in the grid.

Look for Wordplay First

If a group seems impossible to identify, assume wordplay is involved. Check for: homophones (words that sound the same), anagrams (words with rearranged letters), hidden words (words within words), letter substitution (words with letters changed), phonetic similarities (words that sound similar).

Wordplay is the secret weapon of advanced Connections. It's how the puzzle makers trap experienced players.

Use the Grid Geometry

Sometimes the physical position of words in the grid provides hints. The puzzle makers occasionally position related words near each other as a psychological nudge. This isn't always true, but it's worth checking. If two words are adjacent and you're stuck, investigate whether they connect.

Sleep on It

If you're stuck for more than five minutes on a group, give your brain a break. Walk away. Come back in an hour. Often, the connection becomes obvious after you've stopped actively thinking about it. Your unconscious brain keeps working on the pattern recognition problem.

Why You Keep Getting 8 Ball Wrong

This is worth its own section because so many players get it wrong.

8 BALL is in the grid. It looks like it belongs with 3 BALL and 6 MAFIA as "things with numbers." Your brain sees this pattern and locks onto it.

But 8 BALL is actually part of the idiom "behind the 8 ball," which means "in a difficult position." 3 BALL and 6 MAFIA don't have equivalent idioms. The puzzle maker is exploiting the fact that 8 BALL looks like it belongs with the number group, but linguistically it belongs with the idiom group.

This is brilliant puzzle design. It's not a trick—it's a lesson in pattern recognition. The connection isn't what your eye first sees. It's what your brain validates through deeper analysis.

Proof: if you submit 3 BALL, 8 BALL, 6 MAFIA, and CHAINZ as a group, the game rejects it. If you submit 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, and THIN ICE, the game accepts it. The puzzle is proving that your surface-level interpretation was wrong and the deeper interpretation was right.

Strategies for Stuck Players

You've tried fifteen groupings. Nothing works. Here's what to do.

Reset Your Assumptions

Start from scratch. Ignore what you thought was the pattern. Look at the grid like it's your first time seeing these words.

Categorize by Word Type

Create piles: proper nouns, common nouns, adjectives, abstract concepts, compound words, words that look like numbers. Often, grouping by grammatical structure reveals patterns.

Test Elimination First

Remove one word from the grid mentally. Do the remaining fifteen form clearer groups? If yes, that removed word was a critical misdirection. Focus your analysis on that word.

Google One Word

If you're stuck on something like OAST, there's no shame in checking what it means. Sometimes the puzzle requires knowledge you don't have. Look it up, then come back to solving.

Accept the Mistake

You have four mistakes. Use them. Submit a guess you're not sure about. See if you're on the right track. The feedback helps you refine your hypothesis.

Walk Away

Seriously. Step outside. Clear your head. Your brain works on pattern recognition in the background. Come back fresh. The answer often becomes obvious after your conscious mind stops forcing connections.

Tomorrow's Puzzle and Long-Term Strategy

Today's game is solved. But tomorrow brings a new puzzle. And the day after that. And the day after that.

If you want to maintain a Connections streak without getting frustrated, develop a sustainable approach:

1. Play at the same time each day. This creates a routine and prevents missed days.
2. Spend no more than 10-15 minutes per puzzle. Beyond that, you're not having fun.
3. Accept that some puzzles will beat you. Streaks break. New streaks start. It's not a reflection of intelligence.
4. Track the types of connections that stump you. If you always miss celebrity-based groupings, accept that gap and work on filling it.
5. Don't compare times or scores with others. Your Connections experience is personal. Some days you'll solve in three minutes. Some days you'll use all four mistakes. Both are fine.

The real win in Connections isn't the streak. It's the daily exercise of pattern recognition, lateral thinking, and cultural literacy. You're training your brain every single day. The game gets easier over time because you're genuinely improving at thinking.

The Psychology of Word Games

Why do millions of people play Connections daily? It's not just about the puzzle. It's about something deeper.

Word games are solvable. There's always an answer. In a chaotic world full of unsolvable problems, a word puzzle offers certainty. You can sit down, think, and arrive at a definitive solution. You win or lose, but either way, you've proven something about your cognitive abilities.

Connections specifically taps into the satisfaction of recognition. When you see a connection that wasn't obvious five minutes earlier, your brain releases dopamine. You're rewarding pattern recognition. This is primal. Humans are pattern-recognition creatures. Games like Connections activate that core drive.

The difficulty scaling also matters. Yellow is easy enough to guarantee you solve something. Purple is hard enough to feel like an accomplishment when you crack it. The game is psychologically engineered to keep you engaged without frustrating you.

This is why Connections is more addictive than Wordle for many people. Wordle is binary—you either get the word or you don't. Connections offers gradation. You can solve three groups and feel partial success. You can struggle with purple and still have pride in completing the puzzle ninety percent.

The New York Times knows this. They've studied game design extensively. Connections is the result of that research: a puzzle that's just difficult enough to feel meaningful, just simple enough to feel achievable, and just clever enough to be satisfying.

Improving Your Pattern Recognition

Want to get better at Connections long-term? Here's how.

Read More

So much of Connections involves cultural knowledge and linguistic patterns. Reading exposes you to vocabulary, idioms, references, and wordplay. People who read a lot—books, articles, poetry, especially wordplay-heavy writing—generally solve Connections faster.

Learn About Etymology

Understanding word origins helps you recognize patterns. If you know that "couth" is derived from "uncouth," you might guess it's related to other obscure words. Etymology creates connections.

Consume Pop Culture Deliberately

Connections includes artist names, song titles, movie references, TV shows, memes, and cultural moments. If you want to solve reliably, you need broad cultural literacy. This doesn't mean watching everything—it means being intentional about consuming different genres, eras, and types of media.

Play Other Word Games

Wordle, Quordle, Strands, Semantle, and other word games strengthen different cognitive skills. Wordle improves vocabulary. Semantle improves understanding of semantic relationships. Strands improves finding hidden words. Each game strengthens different thinking muscles.

Keep a Connections Journal

After solving each puzzle, write down what made each group tricky. Track which types of connections appear frequently. Over time, patterns emerge. You'll develop intuition about what the puzzle maker is thinking.

FAQ

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a free daily word puzzle game created by the New York Times. The game presents sixteen words in a grid, and your task is to group them into four sets of four, where each set shares a common theme or connection. Unlike Wordle, which focuses on deduction, Connections requires pattern recognition, cultural knowledge, and lateral thinking. The game allows up to four mistakes before you fail, and the difficulty scales from yellow (easiest) to purple (hardest).

How does NYT Connections work?

You're given sixteen words and must click on four of them that share a connection, then submit your guess. If correct, those four words are removed and highlighted. If incorrect, you lose one of your four allowed mistakes. The game reveals which group you solved by coloring the words: yellow, green, blue, or purple. Your goal is to identify all four groups without exceeding four mistakes. Each day's puzzle resets at midnight in your timezone.

Why is today's puzzle particularly difficult?

Game #943 is challenging because it requires multiple skill types: the blue group requires knowledge of musical artists from different decades and genres, the purple group relies on recognizing that obscure words (especially OAST) are actually cardinal directions with modified first letters, and the green group requires understanding English idioms. Additionally, the puzzle contains a false lead with multiple words that appear to involve numbers but don't all belong to the same group.

What's the best strategy for solving Connections?

Start with the yellow group to build confidence, then move to green. For blue and purple, look for wordplay, homophones, and cultural patterns. Use process of elimination when stuck—remove one word and see if the remaining three form a clearer pattern. Don't force connections; if only three words feel right, re-examine your hypothesis. Most importantly, recognize that the puzzle often includes misdirection. The most obvious grouping is frequently wrong.

Why is 8 Ball in the green group and not the number group?

Eight Ball is part of the idiom "behind the 8 ball," which means being in a difficult or disadvantaged position. The green group specifically consists of words used in metaphors for precarious situations, not merely words associated with numbers. The puzzle deliberately makes 8 Ball look like it belongs with 3 Ball and 6 Mafia (things with numbers) to test whether you'll go with surface-level interpretation or dig deeper into linguistic patterns.

What does OAST mean?

OAST is a noun meaning a kiln used for drying hops or malt in the brewing industry. It's an obscure English word that most casual word game players have never encountered. In today's puzzle, it's part of the purple group because it's "East" with the E changed to O. Understanding this requires both knowing the word exists and recognizing the letter-substitution pattern.

How can I improve my Connections score?

Improve by reading widely to build vocabulary and cultural knowledge, learning about word etymology to recognize patterns, consuming pop culture across different genres and eras, and playing other word games to strengthen different cognitive skills. Keep a journal of puzzles you find difficult and identify patterns in what trips you up. Over time, you'll develop intuition for the puzzle maker's tricks and recognize common connection types immediately.

What's the difference between Connections and Wordle?

Wordle is deduction-based: you guess five-letter words and use feedback to narrow down the solution. There's one correct word. Connections is pattern-recognition based: you must identify what four words have in common from multiple possible interpretations. It requires cultural knowledge, wordplay understanding, and lateral thinking. Connections is generally considered harder because it has no logical framework—only pattern recognition and puzzle maker intent.

Can I play Connections on mobile?

Yes, the New York Times offers Connections through its website on both desktop and mobile browsers. You access it through NYT Games (games.nytimes.com). There's no separate app required, though the experience is optimized for touch on mobile devices. Your progress and streak persist across devices since the game is tied to your NYT account.

Why do I keep getting purple groups wrong?

Purple groups are designed to be difficult. They often involve wordplay, obscure words, cultural references with limited appeal, or patterns that aren't immediately apparent. If you're consistently missing purple, it usually means you need more exposure to the specific knowledge required (like knowing musical artists or vintage cultural references) or you're not testing for wordplay and letter substitution patterns. Accept that some purple groups will beat you, and focus on maximizing success on yellow, green, and blue first.

What's Next: Staying Ahead of Future Puzzles

Game #943 is complete. You either solved it, got stuck and read this guide, or you're planning ahead for future puzzles.

Here's the long game: Connections is designed to improve your thinking over time. Each puzzle trains pattern recognition. Each group you solve strengthens neural pathways related to lateral thinking. Over months of daily play, you genuinely become better at this type of problem-solving.

Your streak is secondary. The real win is the cognitive training. You're exercising your brain every single day with a puzzle that requires you to think like a creative person, recognize hidden patterns, and make unexpected connections.

Tomorrow's puzzle will be different. The themes will be different. But the skills you develop solving today's puzzle carry forward. You'll be faster. You'll be more confident. You'll recognize tricks before they trap you.

Keep playing. Keep building that streak. But more importantly, keep pushing your brain to see patterns in places they weren't obvious before. That's the real power of Connections.

Key Takeaways

• Today's yellow group consists of four inherently red objects: 3 Ball, Cardinal, Heart Emoji, Solo Cup
• Green group contains words used in precarious situation metaphors including 8 Ball, Deep End, Limb, Thin Ice
• Blue group features musical artists with missing starting numbers: 6 Mafia, Chainz, Direction, Non Blondes
• Purple group uses cardinal directions with modified first letters creating new words: Couth, Forth, Lest, Oast
• Pattern recognition and understanding puzzle maker intent matters more than surface-level word associations when solving Connections

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