If you’re anything like me, you never let a day pass without keeping up your streak on your favorite New York Times games. Whether it’s the crossword, the mini, the spelling bee, wordle, or another one of the daily puzzles, NYT games provide an enjoyable break in the school day, or a quick fun filler for a few empty minutes between classes for many Whitney Young students, myself included. You can find me every B block diligently working out the solution to the Wordle (if I haven’t finished it already). But even if the NYT puzzles haven’t really been your thing, there’s something you should know: there’s a new game on the NYT podium.
Connections is the newest game in the NYT’s collection. It’s only a little over 100 days old, but it’s already second only to Wordle in popularity. Personally, it’s one of my new favorites, and I know many people that are loving it too. But if you haven’t tried it yet, here’s how it works: the player is given 16 words, and then has to sort them out into four different categories with different difficulty levels. For example, “bow,” “kneel,” “salute,” and “stand,” all go in the category of “ways to show respect” from October 2nd’s puzzle. But it’s slipperier than just that: “arrow” was also one of the words that day, so the player automatically thought “bow” and “arrow” belonged together, making it trickier to untangle. Connections often takes advantage of this opportunity to mislead the player with stray words. You’re allowed up to four incorrect guesses, so you have to be careful. I’ve been stumped a few times myself. But the challenge is what makes it fun. There’s nothing more satisfying than watching your guess of four words gather and merge into their correct row after long deliberation. It’s no wonder the clever game is so quickly rising to stardom.
But besides the cleverness of the game and the small burst of achievement it provides in the middle of a busy day, Connections can also help you connect (cheesy but tr). The game is an easy way to start a conversation, and even more fun to play with a friend. Sharing your results from the day’s game is a great way to connect too, as is lamenting with a friend about losing the day’s puzzle. My Dad and I still send screenshots of our games to each other, and it still brings a smile to my face each time.
Connections is a fitting addition to the New York Times’ collection of daily puzzles. Like many of the other games, it’s fun, rewarding, relaxing, and intellectually stimulating. But most of all, this witty puzzle is an excellent way to connect with those around you.
