| The New York TimesConnections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | The New York Times |
| Publisher | The New York Times Games |
| Writer | Wyna Liu |
| Platforms | Web,iOS,Android |
| Release | June 12, 2023 |
| Genre | Word game |
| Mode | Single-player |
Connections is a daily category-matching puzzle[1] developed and published byThe New York Times as part ofThe New York Times Games. It was released on June 12, 2023, during itsbeta phase. It is the second-most-played game that is published by theTimes, behindWordle.[2][3][4] The puzzles are written by editorWyna Liu.
In Connections, the goal is to divide a grid of sixteen terms into four groups of four such that the terms in each group belong to a specific category (e.g., "dog", "cat", "fish", and "parrot" for the category "Household Pets").[5] The categories may involve wordplay such aspalindromes orhomophones, increasing the difficulty.[1] When a player successfully identifies a group, its category is revealed along with a color-coded difficulty level: categories are rated yellow, green, blue, or purple, with yellow being the most straightforward and purple being the most difficult. Each Connections game has one category from each difficulty level.[1]
The puzzle on April 1, 2024 (April Fools' Day in some countries) usedemojis instead of words.[6] For April Fools' Day of 2025, the game consisted of all symbols.[7]
The games department of theTimes hosts an annualgame jam in which participants suggest ideas for upcoming games to release to the website.[8] Connections had been in development for a year before releasing in its beta phase on June 12, 2023.[2][9] The puzzles are written byWyna Liu, who is also a crossword editor at theTimes. Liu cited cartoonistRobert Leighton as an inspiration for lateral and visualwordplay.[10]
Several people associated withOnly Connect, a British televisionquiz show, have commented on the similarity between Connections and theConnecting Wall segment of the program.[11][12][13]
| Connections: Sports Edition | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | The Athletic |
| Publisher | The New York Times Games |
| Writer | Mark Cooper |
| Platforms | Web,iOS,Android |
| Release | September 24, 2024 |
| Genre | Word game |
| Mode | Single-player |
On September 24, 2024,The Athletic, in partnership with The New York Times Games, launched a sports edition of Connections in beta. The sports edition features the same gameplay as the regular version, with each grouping sports-themed.[14][15] The game was officially launched on February 9, 2025, to coincide withSuper Bowl LIX. Games are written byThe Athletic's managing editor for news, Mark Cooper, who became the site's puzzle editor with the launch.[16] Cooper said that unlike the original version, which he called a word game, the sports edition relied more on a trivia component to solve, with Cooper trying to include one category each game that is trivia based. Additionally, Cooper tries to have the purple category feature wordplay like the original. With the game's official launch, an optional timer for completing the puzzle was added.[17]
In September 2025, themed puzzles for all 32NFL teams were created to coincide with the start of the2025 NFL season, and were available for the entire month.[18]
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