The New York Times daily Connections puzzle challenges players to group sixteen words into four categories of four, testing vocabulary and associative thinking. Today’s puzzle (#931), released on December 28, presents a particularly difficult challenge, including the obscure term “pawl.” This article provides hints and the complete solutions for those seeking assistance.
Puzzle Difficulty and Tracking
The Times now offers a Connections Bot that analyzes player performance, tracking metrics like puzzle completion rate, perfect scores, and win streaks. This feature allows dedicated players to quantitatively assess their progress. The game’s increasing complexity has prompted many to seek external help, particularly for puzzles containing less common words.
Hints by Category
Here’s a breakdown of hints, ordered from easiest to hardest grouping:
- Yellow (Easiest): Think about how things are sent.
- Green: These words describe something that doesn’t move.
- Blue: These relate to the inner workings of time-keeping devices.
- Purple (Hardest): This group involves common dog breeds, but with a twist.
Today’s Connections Solutions
The solutions for today’s puzzle are as follows:
- Yellow Group: Containers for Shipping
- Box
- Envelope
- Mailer
- Tube
- Green Group: Unmoving
- Constant
- Static
- Stationary
- Still
- Blue Group: Mechanical Watch Parts
- Gear
- Pawl
- Ratchet
- Spring
- Purple Group: Dogs with First Letter Changed
- Dusky (Husky)
- Noodle (Poodle)
- Perrier (Terrier)
- Soxer (Boxer)
The purple category, in particular, requires lateral thinking, as it relies on altering the first letter of well-known dog breeds to create new, albeit nonsensical, words.
Solving these puzzles daily sharpens pattern recognition and vocabulary, but can be frustrating. For those seeking a less challenging experience, external hints and solutions provide a readily available resource.
