Cracking the NYT Connections Challenge: Key Tips and Answers for July's Update (#410)

Cracking the NYT Connections Challenge: Key Tips and Answers for July’s Update (#410)

Quick Links

Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn’t—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they’re usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we’ve got you covered.

What Is Connections?

Connections is a game from the New York Times. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4. Each group of words will be connected by some common idea or theme. That common element could be anything. We have seen everything from games that rely on the number of letters in the words to categories that require you to spot an extra letter at the end of the word. Sometimes they’re references to economics, other times they reference fairy tales. There is no telling what sort of association there will be between words.

Once you’re confident you understand the connection, select 4 words, then hit “Submit.” You have only four attempts in total, so don’t be too guess-happy.

Hints for Today’s Connections Groups

Here are a few hints for the 410th Connections game to get you started:

Yellow: What the Egyptians might have used.
Green: Talking heads.
Blue: Born with the capability.
Purple: You might use an ace bandage or a flour tortilla.

If you still need help, the actual group names are:

Yellow: Ancient Writing Surfaces
Green: Lead, As a TV Program
Blue: Natural Ability
Purple: Wrapped Things

Today’s NYT Connections Answers

Ancient Writing Surfaces (Yellow):

Clay, Papyrus, Parchment, Wax

Lead, As a TV Program (Green):

Anchor, Host, Moderate, Present

Natural Ability (Blue):

Faculty, Flair, Instinct, Talent

Wrapped Things (Purple):

Burrito, Gift, Mummy, Sprain

How Did We Solve This Connections Game?

July 25th was harder for me than yesterday’s game, and I’m not sure if I’d ever have gotten Purple, even if I’d guessed for the rest of my life.

Anchor and host initially made me think of television presenters, but then I stumbled into moderate and present. I had expected moderator and presenter, but that wasn’t a problem—the logic still held, we were just talking about a verb rather than a noun. The Green group was “Lead, as a TV Program,” and included anchor, host, moderate, and present.

Papyrus instantly made me think of ancient writing, and following that thought lead me to clay, parchment, and wax—all ancient (and sometimes contemporary) writing mediums. The Yellow group was “Ancient Writing Surfaces.”

Faculty, Flair, Instinct, and Talent all seemed related to aptitude somehow, so I threw them together. Plus, no other remaining words fit at all. They were in the Blue group, “Natural Ability.”

That left burrito, gift, mummy, and sprain. Try as I might, I couldn’t put them together. I think it was the combination of burrito and mummy—together, they just reminded me that there was a period of several hundred years when Europeans ate Egyptian mummies for… medicinal purposes. Luckily, the Purple group had nothing to do with that macabre dietary trend, and was the much more mundane “Wrapped Things.”

How Do You Guess Connections Groups?

There is no quick, reliable way to approach Connections like there is with Wordle, since Connections isn’t algorithmic. However, there are a few things to keep in mind that can help.

Look for similar parts of speech. Are some words verbs and others nouns? Are some adjectives? Try mentally grouping them based on those categories and see if any other patterns jump out at you.
Are the words synonyms? Sometimes categories will just be synonyms for a phrase, or very close to synonyms. Don’t rely too closely on this, though. Occasionally, Connections will deliberately throw in words that are sometimes synonyms to mislead you.
Try saying the words. Sometimes, saying the words helps. One puzzle we saw included the words go, rate, faster, clip, pace, speed, move, commute, and hurry—all of which are obviously related to the idea of motion. However, when you say them, it becomes a little more obvious that only four (go, move, hurry, faster) are things you’d actually say to prompt someone to get moving.
Expect the red herring . Connections usually has words that could be plausibly, yet incorrectly, grouped together. Take the words Bud, Corona, and Light, as an example. You might instinctively see those three words together and assume they’re lumped together in a category related to beer—but they weren’t.
Look for distinct words. If a word on your board doesn’t have multiple meanings or can really only be used in one context, try using that word as the basis for a category.
Shuffle the board. Sometimes, moving words around will help you look at them in new ways.

If you didn’t solve this one, don’t feel too bad—there’s always tomorrow! And those words may align with a topic you’re interested in, giving you a leg up on the competition.

Some Skills