The New York Times’ daily Connections puzzle challenges players to group sixteen words into four categories of four, testing pattern recognition and vocabulary. Today’s edition (#983) featured a mix of retro pop culture, animal terminology, and oddly specific phrasing. Here’s a breakdown of the clues and solutions.
Puzzle Overview
The puzzle’s difficulty varied, with some categories leaning heavily into nostalgia while others required more abstract thinking. The NYT Games section now offers a “Connections Bot” for players who want data-driven analysis of their performance, tracking metrics like completion rate and streak length. This appeals to competitive puzzle enthusiasts.
Hints by Category
The Times provides tiered hints, starting with the most straightforward grouping:
- Yellow (Easiest): Relates to classic hairstyling trends.
- Green: Features slang terms for something desirable, popular in past decades.
- Blue: All terms describe types of poultry.
- Purple (Hardest): A bizarre category involving products that share a common filler word.
Solutions Revealed
The groupings for today’s puzzle are as follows:
- Yellow: CRIMP, CURL, FEATHER, TEASE. These are all terms for retro hairstyles that were popular in the 70s and 80s.
- Green: BAD, FLY, RAD, WICKED. Slang terms from the 80s and 90s for something “cool” or impressive.
- Blue: BANTAM, CRESTED, FREE-RANGE, LEGHORN. Varieties of chickens, known for their unique breeds and farming practices.
- Purple: HEAVY, SHAVING, SOUR, TOPICAL. These words all precede the noun “cream.”
Why This Matters
The popularity of games like Connections reflects a growing trend towards casual, daily mental challenges. The puzzle’s success lies in its blend of vocabulary, pattern recognition, and cultural references. The retro theme in today’s edition suggests the NYT is tapping into nostalgia as a way to engage audiences.
The inclusion of the Connections Bot shows the Times is doubling down on data-driven engagement, appealing to players who want to track and improve their performance.
Ultimately, these puzzles offer a small mental workout each day, and today’s edition provided a unique challenge with its eclectic mix of categories.
