**Connections: The Favored NYT Word Game Unraveled**
*Connections* stands out as one of the most cherished word games from the *New York Times*, enchanting players with its distinctive challenge of uncovering “common threads among words.” Much like *Wordle*, *Connections* resets daily at midnight, presenting a fresh batch of progressively challenging puzzles. If you find yourself at a standstill, we have hints and strategies to assist you—or feel free to skip to the end for today’s answer.
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### What is *Connections*?
The *New York Times* has struck gold yet again with its newest daily word game, *Connections*, which has taken social media by storm. Developed with input from associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, the game invites players to cluster four words that share a common theme. Accessible on both web browsers and mobile devices, *Connections* is included in the *Times*’ Games section.
Each puzzle features 16 words, which need to be categorized into four groups. These categories can vary from book titles to software names, countries, and beyond. While some words may appear to fit into several groups, there is only a single correct answer.
When players successfully identify a set of four related words, those words are eliminated from the board. However, incorrect guesses are counted as mistakes, with players permitted up to four errors before the game concludes. To help out, players can shuffle the board to rearrange the words. Each group is color-coded to indicate difficulty: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Similar to *Wordle*, you can share your results with friends on social media.
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### Tips for Solving *Connections*
If you seek a little assistance without giving away the answer, here are some hints for today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Alive and thriving
– **Green:** A duration
– **Blue:** Items you’d locate in a camera bag
– **Purple:** Bird is within the word
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### Today’s *Connections* Categories
In need of additional support? Here are the particular categories for today’s puzzle:
– **Yellow:** Operating
– **Green:** Term
– **Blue:** Items in a Camera Set
– **Purple:** Bird Plus Character
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### The Solution to Today’s *Connections* Puzzle
Prepared for the answers? Here’s the solution to today’s *Connections* #583:
– **Operating:** ACTIVE, FUNCTIONAL, RUNNING, WORKING
– **Term:** MEETING, PERIOD, SESSION, SITTING
– **Items in a Camera Set:** BODY, FLASH, LENS, STRAP
– **Bird Plus Character:** CROWD, GULLY, PUFFING, SWANK
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If you didn’t manage to solve it this time, don’t fret—there’s always tomorrow’s puzzle to anticipate. We’ll return with more hints and tactics to help you take on the next challenge.
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### Looking for More Games?
If you have a passion for puzzles, explore Mashable’s [Games Hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more. And if you’re also engaging with *NYT Strands*, we’ve got hints and solutions for that as well.
Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Here’s the answer.](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-hint-answer-today-january-13-2025)
Happy puzzling!