The Connections game involves creating correct connections between groups of words and sorting them into four themes. It is more than its standard definition of a word game; it is best described as a test of cognitive skills, specifically, word solving, perception of patterns, and overall logic. Every game is a set of sixteen words displayed on a crossword-like grid, and the goal is to then place them into four categories that make for a very satisfying end moment once all the correlations have been made.
If you searching for how to play better or just want to know what’s behind the scenes of Connections, check out these tips and tricks.
1. Look for the Obvious Connections First
- When performing analytical thinking it can be beneficial at times to follow the seemingly smaller, but evident paths first.
- Zip through the list and determine the words that anyone could easily guess the meaning of. For instance, if you encounter the words, ‘orange’, ‘banana’, and ‘apple’, then probably they are in the fruit category.
- In any Connections puzzle, at least one of the groups is fairly obvious to distinguish. By locking in this group early on, you lessen the number of words available and thus can pay more attention to the rest of the connections.
2. Consider Word Synonyms or Common Associations
- Now and then, the word that the player must find does not bear a phonetic resemblance to a word, but rather a conceptual one. For example, the words “car” and “train” may not have anything in common at a glance, but they belong to the “transport” subtopic.
- Think outside the box! In Words in Connection, one has to look at the words again because the relationships are not only exact but maybe trope.
3. Use Word Positioning to Your Advantage
- The words in the puzzle are not put there anyhow. This there seems to often be on purpose, sometimes even forming a layout wherein the related words are circulated. Attempt to see where words stand concerning other words because it may point to a group.
- Leave several words identified a priori as not belonging to any identified pattern. This assists in winnowing out those that do belong to the obvious categories and clears the path for the more difficult relations.
4. Identify Possible Themes and Categories
- Let’s pause for a while and try to understand which categories can be proposed based on the variety of the words. If you have a word such as; mountain, river, desert, or ocean, then you could be looking at geographical structure or a natural environment.
- Some common categories include:
- Mountain, river, ocean
- Meal or Beverage (bread, milk, orange)
- Nature of Work (paid work, medical professional, legal professional, instructional professional)
- Movie, book, or song.
5. Test Assumptions Without Fear
- Do not be scared to guess, as long as the guess is close to the right answer. Why not test it if you are comfortable with three out of the four words in a group? Connections demand that one cannot move forward without risking something; also risk leading to the development of assumptions that come with the testing.
- Just be aware that, in most cases, there will only be a few possible guesses per game, so your best strategy is to try your hardest. Do not pick words chaotically; instead, infer from correlations because correlation is not always the sign of causation.
6. Be Wary of Trap Words and Red Herrings
- Some of the words used are there to mislead you. One might use a word and think that it belongs to a certain class when in fact it belongs to another. For instance, when one mentions a word such as “bark” the reader may imagine a tree-related topic with the keyword but this same word bark relates to the sounds that animals make.
- If a word seems like it fits in more than one category, set it aside and try to use it in more than one category. This makes it easy to conclude that it might belong not to the group it seemed to belong to when making the observation.
7. Use Elimination to Narrow Down Options
- When you know that definite semantic links exist, you should remove these words ‘from the playing field’ mentally or write them aside to work with the rest of the sample. Erasing solved words gives a clear test piece which also reduces the level of difficulties.
- Each correct grouping discards more words that are irrelevant to reduce noise and make the selection more standardized.
8. Common Connection Types to Keep in Mind
- Connections games get even more interesting the more you engage in them since you end up identifying several trends and categories. Knowing these can quickly put you in a favorable position. Here are a few types that frequently appear:
- Graphic elements as seen by the color preferences (e.g. red, blue, yellow, etc.)
- Animal Umbrella Category (for example, dogs and cats, felines, canines)
- Homophones, or Wordplay when there’s the same sound (like between ‘knight’ and ‘night’).
- Historical or pop culture references are used here.
9. Break the Words Down into Root Meanings
- There are related words that relate at the basic level, or in the distinctive ways in which they may be used in daily language. For instance, the word ‘Spring’ or ‘Fall ‘ could mean season while the word ” Fall’ also means action.
- This approach of deciphering words into short forms of the words or the other meanings of the words in question makes you see things you might consider as obvious.
10. Practice, Practice, Practice
- As with any other puzzle game, the sense of connection has to be exercised to get better at it. In the long run, you adapt to seeing the creativity behind the game’s design, and seeing connections to other elements of the game will be instinctive.
- Intend to work your way through fairly easy levels if there are any and progress through the difficult levels. Awareness of such patterns will be beneficial because the more you know the likelihood of a pattern appearing the higher you are likely to rank.
Final Thoughts
Connections is an intriguing and thinking outside-of-the-box game that also requires its participants to be good speakers. Every puzzle is a good chance to practice your prefrontal cortex and have fun deciphering some enigmas is just awesome. Thus, by following these hints, not only will you play the game better, but also learn to appreciate plane logic and language in even greater measure.
So, the next time you’re faced with a challenging Connections grid, remember: People aren’t afraid to think outside the box, to decide on hot guessing, and not turn away from some more thought-provoking associations. Happy connecting!
