
The New York Times Connections game is one of the most popular puzzles online. It challenges players to spot hidden connections across a set of words. Each day, players are given a grid of 16 words. The goal is to sort them into four groups of four words, each tied together by a common theme.
The categories range in difficulty. Yellow is the easiest, followed by green and blue, with purple being the most difficult one. With only four mistakes allowed per game, it pushes players to rely on both logic and intuition.
The hints for the NYT Connections puzzle #831, first shared by CNET, are as follows:
Yellow group hint: Assess something.
Green group hint: Not feeling great about this.
Blue group hint: Hand me a Kleenex.
Purple group hint: You write on this.
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For NYT Connections puzzle #831, the categories balanced simple word associations with trickier ones. Here’s how the groups work out at the end:
1. Yellow – Evaluate: GRADE, RANK, RATE, SCORE
2. Green – Exhibit Nervousness: BLUSH, FIDGET, PACE, SWEAT
3. Blue – Things That Can Run (Annoyingly): DYE, MASCARA, NOSE, STOCKINGS
4. Purple – Paper ___: CLIP, TIGER, TOWEL, TRAIL
The yellow group was straightforward, with words connected to grading and rating. The green group, “exhibit nervousness”, requires you to spot body language and reactions that signal anxiety. The blue group, “things that can run”, was a little tricky because words like “mascara” and “stockings” are not usually grouped together, which forced many players to rethink. The purple group, “paper ___”, was the hardest. Words like “tiger” and “trail” do not immediately appear to fit in with words like “clip” and “towel”, making this category the most difficult one of the day.
NYT Connections puzzles from the past have used similar wordplay, such as “things you can set” or “streets on screen”, which often rely on double meanings. The strategy to solve the NYT Connections puzzle is easy. First lock in the most obvious yellow and green groups early, then shuffle the grid. This will help you spark new connections for the harder sets.
The NYT Connections puzzle has become a daily routine for fans of word games. By mixing straightforward patterns with difficult categories, it keeps players engaged and guessing until the final guess. The NYT Connections puzzle refreshes at midnight and is free to play on the New York Times Games website and app.