Connections is the latest word game from The New York Times that has taken the internet by storm. The game challenges players to find common threads between four words, with each puzzle featuring 16 words divided into four categories. These categories can range from book titles to software, country names, and more. Players must correctly group the words within each category, with each successful grouping removing those words from the board. The game offers a color-coded system to indicate the difficulty of each set, with yellow being the easiest and purple being the hardest. Connections is a fun and engaging way to test your vocabulary and your ability to make connections, and it's sure to become a daily habit for many word game enthusiasts.

😁 **Gameplay:** Connections challenges players to find common threads between four words. Each puzzle features 16 words, divided into four categories. These categories can range from book titles to software, country names, and more. Players must correctly group the words within each category, with each successful grouping removing those words from the board.

🤔 **Difficulty Levels:** The game offers a color-coded system to indicate the difficulty of each set. Yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple, the most challenging. This system helps players approach each group strategically, starting with easier categories and gradually working towards the more difficult ones.

👍 **Social Sharing:** Like Wordle, players can share their results on social media, creating a sense of community and friendly competition among players. This social aspect adds another layer of fun to the game, allowing players to compare their scores and strategies with others.

🏆 **Rewards:** Successfully grouping all four words in a category removes them from the board, leading to a sense of accomplishment and progression. The game also allows players to rearrange and shuffle the board, making it easier to spot connections. This feature adds an element of strategy and problem-solving to the game.

🎉 **Accessibility:** Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices, making it easily accessible to a wide audience. Its simple rules and engaging gameplay make it a perfect choice for casual gamers and word game enthusiasts alike.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for October 12's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Yellow: Football

Green: Scrolling through TV

Blue: Funny guys in makeup

Purple: Definitions of D

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

Yellow - Football Positions

Green - Cable Channels

Blue - Fictional Clowns

Purple - What "D" Might Stand For

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #492 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

Football Positions: Center, Guard, Quarterback, Safety

Cable Channels: Discovery, History, Nickelodeon, Oxygen

Fictional Clowns: Homey, Joker, Pennywise, Ronald

What "D" Might Stand For: Defense, Democrat, Dimensional, Drive

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.