The New York Times daily Connections puzzle challenges players to identify four groups of four words linked by a common theme. For those struggling with today’s iteration (#881), here’s a breakdown of the hints and answers.
Decoding the Groups: From Yellow to Purple
The puzzle is designed with increasing difficulty. The yellow category is typically the most straightforward, while purple often requires the most lateral thinking.
- Yellow Group Hint: Actions that impede or obstruct.
- Green Group Hint: Methods of sharing information or making something known.
- Blue Group Hint: Various forms through which humans communicate.
- Purple Group Hint: Words that follow the letter “I”.
Today’s Connections Answers
Here’s how the puzzle breaks down, category by category:
Yellow Group: Obstructions
The words connected by this theme are block, plug, seal, and stop. All describe ways to prevent passage or continuation.
Green Group: Announcements
The words here are deliver, give, present, and pronounce. These all represent ways to publicly share something.
Blue Group: Languages
This group is composed of body, programming, sign, and spoken. Each represents a distinct way that communication happens.
Purple Group: Words After “I”
This is the hardest category. The answer is beam, Ching, robot, and spy. These are all words that come after the letter “I” in common phrases or slang (I-beam, I Ching, I-robot, I-spy).
Tracking Your Progress
The Times has introduced a Connections Bot that analyzes player performance, including completion rate, perfect scores, and win streaks. This feature is available for registered Times Games subscribers.
The Connections puzzle provides a daily mental challenge that rewards pattern recognition and quick thinking. The difficulty increases with each category, making the purple group particularly satisfying to solve.
