The New York Times daily Connections puzzle (#919) presents a word-association challenge where players must group four terms sharing a common thread. Today’s puzzle proved moderately difficult, prompting many to seek assistance. Here’s a breakdown of hints and full solutions to help you crack the code.
Decoding the Groups: Hints
The puzzle categories range from straightforward to obscure. Here’s a tiered hint system:
- Yellow (Easiest): Think movement, rhythm, and social gatherings.
- Green: Focus on familial ties, legacies, and generational continuities.
- Blue: Consider a legendary filmmaker known for suspense and psychological thrillers.
- Purple (Hardest): This one involves a somewhat unusual connection – musical beginnings and slithering reptiles.
The Answers Revealed
Here’s how the puzzle breaks down, with each color-coded group listed:
- Yellow Group: The unifying theme is dances. The four words are bolero, foxtrot, mambo, and quickstep.
- Green Group: The common link is descendants. The terms are brood, family, offspring, and posterity.
- Blue Group: The connection is Alfred Hitchcock movies. The answers are Lifeboat, Rope, Spellbound, and Suspicion.
- Purple Group: This category is trickier: the link is words starting with percussion instruments. The answers are bellhop, chimera, drumroll, and rattlesnake.
The Game’s Evolution and Strategy
The Times has introduced a “Connections Bot” for players who want to track their performance, including win rates and perfect scores. This caters to competitive puzzle solvers.
To improve your own gameplay, consider these tips:
- Vocalization: Read the words aloud. The phrasing may reveal hidden connections.
- Avoid Obviousness: The puzzle creators are intentionally deceptive. Don’t assume the first grouping you see is correct.
- Deconstruction: Break down compound words; connections may be hidden within parts of terms.
The New York Times Connections puzzle tests not just vocabulary, but lateral thinking. The game is designed to challenge players with subtle associations, making the satisfaction of solving it all the more rewarding.
The puzzle’s difficulty lies in its ambiguity. The challenge lies in recognizing less obvious connections, pushing players to think beyond surface-level associations.
