For those unfamiliar, Connections Unlimited is a daily word game from The New York Times that asks you to group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. The challenge? The connections between words can be subtle, clever, or even tricky. Some puzzles might seem easy at first, but there’s always a group or two that stumps even the best of us.
Today's puzzle featured an interesting variety of categories—some were quite familiar, but others required a bit more lateral thinking. Let’s take a look at the words and how they fit into the correct groups.
Fasteners:
Flowers:
Patterns:
Planets:
Today's puzzle was a fun mix of common categories (flowers and planets) and some trickier ones (fasteners and patterns). Let’s explore how you can approach puzzles like today’s and build a more strategic mindset for tackling future challenges.
Identify the Easiest Group First: Often, one category stands out immediately. In today’s puzzle, flowers like “Sunflower,” “Tulip,” “Rose,” and “Lily” are easy to spot. Grouping the most obvious set of words first gives you a clearer playing field for the trickier categories.
Think About Function: The fasteners group (Button, Zipper, Velcro, Snap) might not have been obvious at first, but when you think about their function—how they’re used to close or fasten things—it becomes clear. Think about how words function in real life to help you spot connections.
Consider Different Categories of Grouping: Today’s patterns group (Check, Plaid, Stripes, Polka Dots) may have tripped some people up. These words aren’t connected by their literal meanings but by their visual or design-related context. Keep an open mind to different kinds of relationships, like patterns, shapes, or styles.
Scientific Connections: When planets like “Earth,” “Mars,” “Venus,” and “Mercury” pop up, it’s good to remember they belong to categories you learned in school. Scientific or geographical knowledge often comes in handy for Connections puzzles.
Process of Elimination: If you're unsure about a group, try eliminating the obvious categories first. For example, once you’ve grouped the flowers and planets, it leaves you with fewer words, making the remaining categories easier to solve.
The NYT Connections puzzle for October 07, 2024 offered a great variety of themes today—from fasteners to planets—and kept us thinking on our feet. Whether you found the flowers to be a breeze or got tangled up in fasteners, it’s all part of the fun. Each puzzle is a chance to stretch your word association skills and learn something new!
