‘Connections’ December 15: Hints and answers for Game #553

December 15, 2024 / Kevin harson /

Connections is a daily game that keeps going, even on weekends. If you’re feeling a little drained after a busy week, Newsweek has some helpful hints and tips to tackle today’s puzzle.

Sunday’s answers are included at the end of the article, so scroll carefully if you prefer to solve it yourself.

How to play ‘Connections’

First, view the words. Players start with a 4×4 grid of 16 words. These words are seemingly random, but have hidden relationships.

Next, find connections. Look for groups of four words that share a common theme, category, or connection. For example:

Colors: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow

Countries: France, Spain, Canada, Brazil

Then, test your group. Select four words you think form a group. If you’re correct, those words will lock into place as a category. If not, you’ll get a strike.

Repeat and continue grouping until all four categories are identified or you run out of guesses.

Connections is a popular word puzzle game played online and on smart phones.

Roni Bintang/Getty Images

Some helpful hints and strategies include the following: some words may overlap or fit into more than one group, so choose carefully.

Once you identify a category, it can help eliminate or narrow down the remaining possibilities.

It helps to think broadly. Connections can be thematic (e.g., animals, sports), linguistic (e.g., homophones, synonyms), or even tricky (e.g., puns, cultural references).

With scoring, completing the puzzle with fewer mistakes gives you a higher score. Players typically have a limited number of incorrect guesses, so need to plan wisely.