If you are struggling with this Connections this hump day, Newsweek is here to help.

Since his debut in The New York Times In June 2023, the word puzzle quickly gained a large fan base. It challenges players to group words using subtle connections, combining logic with language skills. Today it is the second most popular game released, right after All-Conqueror Wordle.

In case you are not familiar with it ConnectionsThis article will walk you through the basics of the game. But we warn: Spoilers for today’s answers are contained below. So be careful while scrolling if you want to avoid them.

How to play Connections

If you are new ConnectionsIt won’t take long to learn the rules. At the start, players are given a table with 16 words, which they must divide into four groups of four based on common characteristics.

Each of the four categories is marked with a color that also indicates its level of difficulty. Yellow is the easiest category, followed by green, blue and purple. However, the puzzles are rarely easy and use homophones and puns, among other things, to challenge players.

Until the end of the game, players have up to four chances to guess incorrectly. There is no time limit, so there is no need to rush anything. You can also mix up the words on the board to see connections you might have initially missed.

Wyna Liu, crossword editor at The New York Just who was commissioned with the development Connectionstold Newsweek about their top tips for playing.

“My best advice is to wait as long as possible before guessing,” she said.

“You may see the board and have fully identified the category by seeing five words that could belong in that category,” she continued. “Don’t try to guess the four words in this category, because even though you know what the fifth element is, you don’t know which of the four it may not be,” which would ultimately be a waste.

Connections #549 Notes for Wednesday December 11th

Newsweek has some clues to help you figure out today Connections Categories.

Yellow: Objects that require a similar movement to be used to use them.

Green: Names for a place of ideal perfection.

Blue: Words created by mixing two or more words.

Purple: The last half of each word has similar meanings.

“Connections” #549 answers for Wednesday, December 11th

Yellow Category: THINGS THAT SHAKE YOU

Yellow words: Hairspray, Magic 8 Ball, salad dressing, snow globe

Green category: UTOPIA

Green words: Paradise, Seventh Heaven, Shangri-La, Xanadu

Blue category: INDEPENDENT PROPERTIES PORTMANTEAUX

Blue words: Jazzercise, Paralympics, Pokemon, Wikipedia

Purple Category: END IN SYNONYMS FOR “FRIEND”

Purple words: Ketchum, Paypal, Primate, Rosebud

Did you guess the answers correctly? If so, congratulations. If not, there will be another opportunity to solve the puzzle tomorrow.

Connections will be published at midnight in your local time zone. Newsweek We’ll be back with another round of hints and tips for each new game.

In the meantime, you could try it Wordlefor what Newsweek also offers daily tips.