One of the favourite puzzles of readers is the New York Times Connections, where everyday users are tested on the ability to sort 16 words or phrases into four categories. All the puzzles require a form of reasoning and pattern recognition skills to form solutions in different connections. In a new NYT Connections game published on November 13th, 2024, people had new hints and answers to solve.
This article provides information on how to do today’s puzzle in addition to the discussion of the popularity of the game.
NYT Connections is a word-guessing puzzle created by The New York Times where 16 items form a grid and the goal for a player is to connect four items that are similar in some way. Such associations may stand for worked synonyms, topics, or even fine semantic play on words. The aim here is to solve all groups to within four errors. It combines logic with word games along with some other kinds of thinking methods preferred by players according to NYT Games.
The game is among the NYT digital puzzles, which also include Crossword and the Spelling Bee. The game caters for the casual gamer, the hardcore gamer and the paleographic enthusiast because of the amusement of the word sequence design and the varying complexity of sequences.
On the Connections puzzle grid, there are 16 words or phrases mentioned. Namely, players have to pick up four groups of related items, each of which includes four words. Some of these connections are straightforward others are meant to deceive the players with connections that have overlaps or with connections with overall similar sound with something else. For instance, words may pertain to many prospective classes like ‘colours’ or ‘fruits’ and so on, which takes it notched up a bit.
Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
1. Yellow: These are colours associated with happiness and summer mood.
2. Green: These are the things that can be added to building a house or building.
3. Blue: Things found at a dentist’s office
4. Purple: Short words and lengthy pronunciations.
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
1. Yellow: Yellow Things
2. Green: Building Add-Ons
3. Blue: Concerns for a Dentist
4. Purple: Words That Seem Longer Written Than Spoken
1. Look for obvious connections: First navigate to obvious types of groups like object grouping and grouping by a specific theme, for example, colour or animals. This helps to reduce the number of choices as well as other relations become clearer.
2. Identify ambiguous overlaps: Watch for words which can be associated with given categories. For instance, the word “Whisk” looks like an action but it actually falls under the category of kitchen utensils.
3. Group-by-word relationships: In many a case, synonyms, antonyms, or even things that are thematically linked can make a category. Some attention to meanings may be useful here.
4. Use the process of elimination: Once you say yes to a category, erase in your mind any of the words that belong to that particular category. This makes it easier to search for the remaining groups in a faster and more efficient way.
Still stuck to get the right answers? Read on to learn the answers for NYT Connections game #521
1. Things That Are Yellow: CANARY, LEMON, MINION, MUSTARD
2. Building Add-Ons: ADDITION, ANNEX, EXTENSION, WING
3. Concerns for a Dentist: CALCULUS, CAVITY, PLAQUE, TARTAR
4. Words That Seem Longer Written Than Spoken: COLONEL, PHARAOH, WEDNESDAY, WORCESTERSHIRE
Similar to other NYT games such as Crossword and Spelling Bee, NYT Connections, is also designed around the concept of classification. However, it is different from the classic crossword puzzle in terms of solving clues and significantly different from the Spelling Bee when it comes to creating new words.
The NYT Connections game for November 13, 2024, is a good example of the kind of creative yet challenging puzzles the game offers. Divisions from four different categories made the players think long and hard. Thus, the presented hints and tips help both novice and experienced players get the best out of the game.