Today’s NYT Connections Tips (and Answers) for Friday, March 22, 2024


If you are looking for Connections Friday March 22, 2024 answers, keep reading - I will share some clues, tips, strategies and finally solutions for all four categories. Along the way I'll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we'll see how everything fits together. Please note, there are spoilers below for the March 22 issue of NYT Connections #285! If you want some tips (and answers) for today's game of Wired, keep reading.

If you want an easy way to return to our hookup tips every day, bookmark this page . If you're wondering what you missed in previous puzzles, you can find our past hints there too.

Below, I'll give you some indirect hints on today's connection answers. Further down the page I will reveal the topics and answers. Scroll slowly and get the tips you need!


Topic prompt for today’s connect puzzle

Here are some grouping tips from today’s Wired (no spoilers):

  • Yellow Category - They make a buzzing sound.

  • Green Category - Extrusion.

  • Blue Category - International athletic feats.

  • Purple categories - like clock or typing.


PLEASE NOTE: Today's Connect Puzzle contains spoilers!

We're about to give you some answers. If you don't want to spoil the whole thing, scroll slowly. (Full solution a little below.)

A note on the tricky bits

I found myself caught up in the movement. BREAKING is the official name for break dancing, and SKELETON is a minimalist sled that can be ridden face down by one person at speeds up to 81 miles per hour .

Volleyball, squash and cricket are not included in the sports category today.

What are the categories of connectivity today?

  • Yellow: jumping animals

  • Green: apply pressure

  • Blue: Olympic Movement

  • Purple: things you can set

Be extra careful: here’s the solution

Ready to get the answers to today’s connectivity dilemmas? I've given them all below.

What's the yellow word in today's connection?

The yellow grouping is considered the most straightforward. Today's theme for the yellow group is jumping animals, the words are: cricket, frog, hare, kangaroo.

What's the green word in Connections today?

The green grouping should be the second easiest. Today's theme in the green category is applying pressure and the words are: crush, mash, press, squeeze.

What's the blue word in today's Wired?

The blue group is the second hardest. Today's theme in the blue category is Olympic sports, and the words are: BREAKING, HOCKEY, SKELETON, TRAMPOLINE.

What is the purple word in today's connection?

The purple group is considered the hardest. Today's theme for the purple group is "Things You Can Set" and the words are: mood, record, table, volleyball.

How I solved my connection issues today

We have a lot of sports, so I started looking for exceptions to obvious patterns. SKELETON is an Olympic sport (I know it's like luge, but backwards) and SQUASH could also mean CRUSH or MASH. or press. ?

Crickets, frogs, kangaroos and hares are all jumping animals. This is another sport (cricket) that has been eliminated. ?

What sports are left? I saw five. Obviously hockey, skeletons and volleyball. Trampoline is also a sport and a type of gymnastics. BREAKING is the breakdancing of the Olympics, as it will be in Paris 2024 .

I don't see the connection between MOOD, TABLE and RECORD. (I racked my brain to fill in the blanks, but came up empty handed.) Maybe I'm wrong about sports? But I checked the board as hard as I could and found nothing.

It's time to take a guess. Moods, tables, records, and breaks are right in front of you! Same goes for moods, tables, records, skeletons. (So ​​BREAKING and SKELETON are both sports.) Trampoline? One point left! I have two possibilities left, and only one chance to guess. I blow it.

Connecting Puzzle #285 ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????

How to play connect

I have a complete guide to playing Connections , but here's a recap of the rules:

First, find the Connections game on the New York Times website or their game app (formerly known as the Crossword Puzzle app). You will see a game board with 16 tiles, each with a word or phrase. Your task is to select a set of four tiles that have something in common. Usually they are the same type of thing (for example: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all types of wet weather), but sometimes a play on words is involved (for example, BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all types) List : Last Wish lists, guest lists, etc.).

Select four projects and click the Submit button. If you guessed correctly, the category and color will be displayed. (Yellow is easiest, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess is incorrect, you'll be given a chance to try again.

You win when you correctly identify all four groups. But if you make four mistakes before finishing, the game will be over and the answer will be revealed.

How to win connections

The most important thing to know when it comes to winning connections is that grouping design is tricky. Expect to see overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle appeared to include six breakfast items: bacon, eggs, pancakes, omelets, waffles and cereal. But it turns out that BACON belongs to the same group of painters as CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG belongs to a dozen groups of painters (along with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don’t hit “submit” until you’ve confirmed that your foursome only contains these four things.

If you're stuck, another strategy is to look at words that don't seem to be connected to other words. If when you see "Whistler" all that comes to mind is the painting nicknamed "Whistler's Mother," then you probably get the idea. When I was figuring this out, I ended up searching on Google to see if there was a painter named Close, since Close didn't fit any obvious themes either.

Obviously, another way to win when you're stuck is to read some helpful tips - which is why we share them every day. Check back tomorrow for the next puzzle!