**All You Should Know About the NYT’s Trending Word Game, *Connections***
*Connections* stands out as a favored word game from the *New York Times*, engaging word lovers far and wide. The game invites players to uncover “shared themes among words.” Like *Wordle*, *Connections* updates daily at midnight, with each fresh puzzle becoming progressively more challenging. To assist you, we’ve gathered some pointers, suggestions, and tactics to navigate through today’s challenge.
If you’re simply seeking today’s answer, feel free to scroll to the bottom of this article. However, if you’d rather tackle it on your own, continue reading for useful hints and strategies!
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### What Is *Connections*?
The *New York Times*’ newest daily word game has taken social media by storm. Developed with the assistance of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, *Connections* has become a remarkable feature in the *Times*’ Games section. It can be accessed on both web browsers and mobile devices.
The goal? Organize 16 words into four groups of four words each, based on a common link. These categories can cover everything from book titles to software, country names, and more. Although many words may seem related, there’s only one correct answer for every puzzle.
Here’s how it works:
– When you successfully group four words, they are eliminated from the board.
– An incorrect guess counts as a mistake. You can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.
To simplify things, players can shuffle the board, allowing for easier rearrangement of words and connection spotting. Each category is coded by color to indicate difficulty: yellow is the simplest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Additionally, similar to *Wordle*, you have the option to share your results with friends on social media.
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### Tips for Playing *Connections*
1. **Start with clear connections.** Focus on the yellow group first, as it is usually the most straightforward.
2. **Avoid overanalyzing.** Some connections might be simple, while others could need a bit of lateral thinking.
3. **Utilize the shuffle option.** Changing the board arrangement can help reveal patterns you might overlook.
4. **Consider word categories.** Think of themes like professions, colors, or notable names.
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### Today’s *Connections* Hints
Looking for a gentle push in the right direction? Here are some hints for today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Instruct
– **Green:** Stockpile
– **Blue:** Air traffic manager
– **Purple:** Identical last name
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### Today’s *Connections* Categories
Still feeling stuck? Here’s a summary of today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Educate
– **Green:** Store
– **Blue:** Instructions for driving instructors
– **Purple:** ____ caterpillar
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### Today’s *Connections* Solution
Prepared for the answers? This is your last opportunity to look away before we disclose today’s solution!
Drumroll, please…
The solution to *Connections* #582 is:
– **Instruct:** COACH, GUIDE, SCHOOL, TRAIN
– **Stockpile:** BANK, POOL, RESERVE, STORE
– **Instructions for driving instructors:** BRAKE, PARK, SIGNAL, TURN
– **____ caterpillar:** BOOK, EARTH, GLOW, INCH
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Don’t be discouraged if you didn’t solve it this time—tomorrow is always another chance! Each new day presents a fresh *Connections* puzzle to test your mind, and we’ll return with additional hints and solutions to assist you.
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### Seeking More Puzzles?
If you enjoy word games, explore Mashable’s [games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and much more.
Want to look back at yesterday’s puzzle? [Here’s the solution to yesterday’s *Connections*.](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-hint-answer-today-january-12-2025)
And if you’re also tackling *Wordle* or *Strands*, we have hints and solutions for those games as well.
Happy puzzling!