How Connections became the NYT’s second-biggest hit
From a June 2023 beta to billions of solves a year: how the New York Times’ grouping puzzle caught up with Wordle, with sourced numbers.
Connections looks simple: sixteen words, four hidden groups, four mistakes allowed. Within a couple of months of launch it was the second most-played game at The New York Times, behind only Wordle. Here is how that happened, using figures the Times has published.
A quiet beta, then a fast climb
Connections debuted in beta on June 12, 2023, on the web only. By August 28 the Times was calling it its second most popular game, and the most popular in-house launch since the Mini crossword. That day it also arrived in the Times’ apps (TechCrunch). The puzzles are edited by Wyna Liu, who wrote about the editing process early on (NYT).
Why it spread
Like Wordle, Connections has a spoiler-free share grid: rows of yellow, green, blue and purple squares that show the order you found the groups and where you slipped. Unlike Wordle, a bad day is entertaining to share. Vox noted that it captured social media "in a way that a simple five-letter word-of-the-day puzzle never could", with players arguing about red herrings and the trickiest purple categories (Vox). The Times said about nine in ten people who start a puzzle finish it, win or lose (TechCrunch).
The numbers
- 2023: players completed Connections successfully 2.3 billion times, out of more than 8 billion plays across all NYT games. Wordle had 4.8 billion plays (Axios).
- 2024: 3.3 billion successful completions, against 5.3 billion Wordle plays and 11.1 billion puzzles played across NYT Games (Wikipedia, citing NYT figures; TODAY).
- Most common mistake of 2024: grouping "bolt", "nail", "nut" and "screw" (TODAY).
Note that the Connections figures count successful completions, while the Wordle figures count plays, so the two aren’t a perfect like-for-like comparison. Either way, it’s clearly the Times’ biggest original game launch since the Mini.
Spin-offs and look-alikes
The format soon spread: the Times and The Athletic added Connections: Sports Edition, Conexo offers a free grouping puzzle in several languages, and LinkedIn’s Pinpoint asks you to name the category behind a set of words. For more, see games like Connections.
Tips if you’re new
Find the red herring before you submit, solve the group you’re surest of rather than the first one you spot, and expect the purple group to be about the words themselves. There’s more on the Connections page, which also lets you log your result and see how you compare.
Sources
- TechCrunch, "Connections is The New York Times’ most played game after Wordle" (Aug 2023)
- The New York Times, "How We Edit Connections" (Jun 2023)
- Vox, "How the NYT’s Connections game took over the internet" (Mar 2024)
- Axios, "Games are helping the New York Times thrive amid media chaos" (Jan 2024)
- TODAY, "The New York Times Reveals Connections, Wordle Data For 2024"
- Wikipedia, "The New York Times Games"