If you are addicted to Connections and want to try puzzle games similar to the popular New York Times game, then you are in luck! There are many word games online that will challenge your brain, from PuzzGrid to Red Herring. Read on to find out the 10 games like Connections that you can look forward to playing every day.
Connections is a daily word game by New York Times in June 2023. The game allows players to find common threads between words. Users must select four groups of four words without making more than four mistakes. However, the game gets tricky when several of the words shown on the screen fit into multiple categories and appear to belong together, even though they could be in a completely different grouping.
The Times is known for its word and logic games, starting with the launch of The Crossword in 1942. In 2014, the publisher launched Mini Crossword, followed by Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles and Vertex. In 2022, The Times acquired Wordle, which is currently the most played game on the New York Times Website. Connections is the second most played game after Wordle, so it’s no surprise that players want more of this puzzle game.
10 games like Connections that you won’t want to miss
Keep scrolling to discover 10 games similar to NYT’s “Connections” that will take your vocabulary skills to the next level.
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PuzzleGrid
Play PuzzGrid
PuzzGrid is based on the BBC game show Only Connect. Like Connections, players must figure out the relationship between words and divide the 16 into four groups. Players can access thousands of user-submitted grids, and the site jokes that it’s just like NYT Connections, only with more red herrings.
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Puzzle Archive
Play Puzzle Archive
The Connections puzzle archive was created by Reddit user r/swellgrafo and contains every Connections puzzle since the beta launch. Unlike NYT’s Connections, players can make as many mistakes as they want. The site also allows users to create their own puzzles for others to play.
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Wordle
Photo credit: Getty Images
Play Wordle
If you’re familiar with Connections, you’ve probably played Wordle. It’s the New York Times’ most popular game, with around two million players a day. The addictive game consists of a 5-by-6-inch grid of blank white boxes. Players have six chances to enter a five-letter word. The game is another excellent way to test your vocabulary.
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Diversionary tactic
Play Red Herring
Red Herring is a word connection game that you can download from the App Store. Like Connections, players must make connections and sort words into categories while also being careful of Red Herrings, which are specific words that are used to mislead players. Red Herring features 25 puzzles and a free daily puzzle.
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Dordle
Play Dordle
Dordle is a free puzzle game where players have to guess two words at a time on two boards. The game is more difficult than Worldle. It also has an upgrade feature so the difficulty can be increased in the next round.
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Slither Link
Play Slither Link
If you fancy a challenging logic puzzle, try Slither Link. In this online game, players must draw lines between dots to form a single loop with no intersections or branches. The numbers on the screen indicate how many lines surround them.
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Spelling competition
Photo credit: Getty Images
Play spelling bee
“How many words can you make from 7 letters?” is the central question of another New York Times game, Spelling Bee. The concept of the vocabulary game is simple: players use a honeycomb grid of seven letters to form words of at least four letters, including the letter in the middle. It gets increasingly difficult with each level.
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Connections Game Unlimited
Play Connections Game Unlimited
Connections Unlimited Game is like NYT’s Connections, but the online game offers unlimited rounds. The concept is similar to the original: 16 words are rearranged into groups of four that show a connection between certain words. Players have four attempts before they can repeat the puzzle or start a new one.
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Phrazle
Play Phrazle
Another vocabulary game like Connections is Phrazle, a more challenging version of Wordle. Players have six attempts to guess a phrase instead of categories. Simply type in a phrase and the tiles will change color, indicating whether you’ve typed the right or wrong letter into the box.
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Semantle
Play Semantle
The goal of Semantle is to guess the secret word. The game then tells you how much you like the secret word and how close you are to it by assigning it a similarity score. Like Connections, this difficult word game tests your vocabulary and you can share your results with friends and family.
