How to Play
Sixteen words are hiding four groups of four, each linked by a common theme. Tap four words you think belong together, then press Submit. A correct group is revealed in its color; a wrong guess costs one of your four mistakes. Find all four groups before you run out.
Groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is the most straightforward, then green, blue, and purple is the trickiest. If your guess is one word away from a real group, the game will tell you. Use Shuffle to reorder the tiles and spot new links.
One new puzzle every day.
Pick Easy, Medium or Hard and play as many as you like.
Solve a series of timed puzzles in a row.
- Start by looking for words with more than one meaning — a word can fit two groups, and that overlap is usually the trap.
- Solve the group you're most sure of first. Every word you clear makes the remaining overlaps easier to untangle.
- Don't rush the purple group. Once the other three are found, the last four words are automatically the answer.
- Watch for wordplay: hidden words, homophones, words that can follow or precede the same word, or things sharing a prefix or suffix.
- Use Shuffle whenever you're stuck staring at the same layout — a fresh arrangement often makes a link click.
- A "One away!" message means three of your four words are right — swap out just one and try again.
Is there a new Connections puzzle every day?
Yes — the Daily Challenge gives every player the same puzzle, and a fresh one unlocks at the start of each new calendar day.
What is Connections?
Connections is a word-grouping puzzle. You're shown 16 words that fall into four hidden groups of four, and your job is to work out what each group has in common.
How many mistakes am I allowed?
Four. Each incorrect group costs one mistake, and once you've used all four the round ends. If you're only one word away from a correct group, the game tells you.
What do the colors mean?
Each group has a difficulty color. Yellow is the most straightforward, then green, then blue, with purple the trickiest — usually the one built on wordplay or a less obvious link.
What happens if I run out of mistakes in the Daily Challenge?
The answers aren't revealed. You can try again after a 1-hour cooldown with the same puzzle (in a freshly shuffled layout), as many times as you need, until you solve it or the day ends.
Does the grid shuffle?
Yes — the Shuffle button reorders the remaining words to help you see new connections, and it costs nothing. Every new attempt also starts with a different layout.
How are Daily Challenge points calculated?
Solving the puzzle earns 10 points for playing, plus a mistakes bonus (more points the fewer mistakes you make) and a speed bonus (more points the faster you solve it). Points are only awarded on a solve.
What is Classic mode?
Classic lets you pick Easy, Medium or Hard and play as many puzzles as you like. Every solved puzzle scores points, with harder puzzles worth more.
Do I lose points for failing a Classic puzzle?
No. A failed Classic puzzle simply earns nothing — you can start another one right away.
What are Tournaments?
A Tournament is a timed run through a series of Connections puzzles back to back. Each puzzle has its own countdown, and you earn one combined score for finishing them all.
How does Tournament scoring work?
You earn 30 points for starting, plus 15 points for each puzzle you solve, plus a bonus amount set for that specific tournament — all awarded in one shot once you finish every puzzle.
What happens if I fail a puzzle during a Tournament?
Your progress resets to the first puzzle with none of that run's points banked. You can retry as many times as you like.
Do I need an account to play?
No — you can play as a guest and still earn points and appear on the leaderboard. A free account additionally unlocks streaks, XP, Rank and Achievements.
Can I share my result?
Yes — after finishing you can share a spoiler-free grid of colored squares. "Copy Result & Share with Community" and "Share with Friends" are two independent, one-time bonuses you can both claim.
Does the puzzle change at the same time for everyone?
No — it changes at your own device's local midnight. Everyone gets the same puzzle on the same calendar date, but exactly when "today" flips depends on your timezone.
Can I keep playing after I solve the Daily Challenge?
Not the Daily Challenge itself — it's done until tomorrow. Classic and Tournaments are available any time in between.
Does playing Connections affect my streak?
Yes — solving the Daily Challenge (any of the games, not just Connections) advances your daily streak, as long as you play on consecutive calendar days.
What is the Connections leaderboard based on?
Total points earned across every Connections mode — Daily Challenge, Classic and Tournaments — for whichever period you have selected.
Are there Connections achievements?
Yes — Level tiers based on your lifetime Connections points, and Championship badges for topping the daily, weekly and monthly leaderboards.
Does Connections work on mobile?
Yes — the board is fully responsive with large tappable tiles, so no download or app install is needed.