The New York Times Connections puzzle has quickly become a fan favorite, offering a daily challenge where players must group 16 words into four categories of four. As with many word games, Connections blends logic and trivia, requiring players to identify common themes that link the words together. April 22, 2025, provided a challenging and fun puzzle with the following categories:
1. Slang for Friend
Words: Bud, Chum, Mate, Pal
Category Hint: These are all casual or informal ways to refer to a friend. While the synonyms for friend vary across cultures, these four words are commonly used in Englishspeaking countries.
2. Adjectives for a Basement
Words: Cold, Dank, Dark, Musty
Category Hint: The basement can often be an eerie or lessthanpleasant place in a house. These words capture the typical environment found in basementsusually a bit of a mix between creepy and uncomfortable.
3. Stubble
Words: Fuzz, Scruff, Shadow, Whiskers
Category Hint: These words describe different types of facial hair, especially when it hasnt been shaved or groomed recently. A little stubble or scruff can often be seen as charming or rugged, depending on the look.
4. Collection of Money
Words: Fund, Kitty, Pool, Pot
Category Hint: Each of these words refers to a collection or group of money, typically for a shared purpose. Whether its a fund for a cause, a kitty for a group, a pool for a collective, or a pot for winnings, they all indicate the idea of collective finances.
Strategies for Solving the Puzzle
Each group in the Connections puzzle is colorcoded according to difficulty:
Yellow is the easiest, often featuring more straightforward or common connections.
Green represents fairly easy but still thoughtful connections.
Blue signifies a medium difficulty level, requiring more obscure knowledge or trivia.
Purple is the hardest, often involving deeper or more complex trivia.
For those who want a hint but not the full answer, the game provides useful clues about the categorieslike how certain words may fit together through their meanings or relationships. You can also rearrange the grid to help spot these hidden connections.
Why Connections is So Popular
Unlike other word games such as Wordle, Connections is all about grouping, and it tests players ability to categorize information, making it ideal for trivia buffs or anyone looking to boost their memory and word association skills. While it might seem easy at first glance, the addition of tricky words designed to throw you off makes it a challenging daily brain workout.
Wyna Liu, the puzzles creator, has acknowledged the games appeal in part because of its social aspectplayers can share their results with friends, comparing how quickly they managed to solve the puzzle. Its also become a staple of the NYT Games section, alongside classics like Crossword and Spelling Bee.
Tips for Improving Your Connections Game
Here are a few quick tips for anyone looking to improve their performance in Connections:
1. Start with the obvious categories: If you see a clear connection between a set of words like synonyms or related objects, go for it. This can help you eliminate options quickly.
2. Use process of elimination: If youre unsure about a group, consider which words dont belong together. The less obvious ones can be easier to spot this way.
3. Dont rush: Though the clock is ticking, dont be afraid to take a step back and reassess. Sometimes, the best connections arent the ones that are immediately obvious.
4. Sharpen your trivia skills: Many of the medium to hard categories rely on obscure knowledge, so brushing up on topics like pop culture, geography, or history can give you a leg up.
Final Thoughts
April 22s puzzle was another fantastic example of how NYT Connections mixes simplicity with challenge. Whether you solved it in minutes or needed a little extra time, the satisfaction of figuring out how 16 words connect is always rewarding. And as the puzzle evolves, players can expect even trickier grids and more mindbending categories.
If youre up for the challenge, dont miss tomorrows puzzleand share your results with friends to see who can solve it the fastest!
This daily brainteaser is shaping up to be a mainstay in puzzlesolving culture, so keep playing and stay sharp!