Unlike many otherConnectionspuzzles, today’s riddle asks you to pair words based on how you would interact with them rather than their own definitions. The puzzle for today was a bit challenging for me, as many of the concepts were closely related from the beginning. This made it tricky to pair the right words together, especially if the right clues aren’t used to give you a head start.
While you don’t have to form a picture like theVertex NYT game puzzlesask you to, the words today just might make you wish you had some visual references. Youonly have four chances to make mistakesbefore losing, so look at each word carefully. Don’t rely on your first instinct, as many words in today’s puzzle are trying to trick you with seemingly easy comparisons.
Today’s Connections Category Hints
April 22 #681
I was able to solve today’s puzzle by recognizing the theme -how you interact with certain words. Today’s puzzle is less concerned about definitions and more interested in how you interpret concepts when you use any of your five senses to observe or interact with them. For example, the word GREASE could mean the literal substance, but the puzzle wants to know how to slip and slide on it through physical interaction.
Even if you recognize the theme of today’s puzzle, here are some hints that will help you understand the categories tied to available words:
If you want to go all out with some of your clue-searching,you should look at the category namesto get some extra help. There are also spoilers for each category if you find yourself needing to solve a single category to finish up.
DROP
SCRAP
The first word that clued me into this part of the puzzle was SCRAP, as it didn’t seem to relate to many other phrases. As someone who has canceled many a project before, I understood thatSCRAP, AXE, or DROPall refer to stopping something you’ve been working on, which gave me most of the right words. Remembering that DROP is something I once did for several university classes, I found the right pairings.
KILN
WHEEL
I recognized the word KILN right away for this puzzle section since it is only really used to define a place where clay is burned after being modeled into a shape. Former art projects I’ve interacted with reminded me that youtake CLAY and GLAZE it to apply colorsbefore putting it in a KILN. Sometimes, having a pottery WHEEL also helps you shape clay before burning it, so all these factors together made the most sense for the puzzle solution.
GREASE
ICE
This part of the puzzle is what I did last, but not before I made a mistake regarding GREASE. I mistakenly put GREASE with the previous category, believing it to be a step in pottery, even thoughBANANA PEEL, ICE, and GREASE only make a connection based on how you interact with them. It’s too easy to slide on these objects or substances, including an EEL that fits best into the rest of the category.
SUN
VOLCANO
This is a tricky part of the puzzle due to how you might mistake FIRE, ICE, and LIGHTNING as a connection of primordial elements. However, what helped me realize the key hint here was to recognize thatthe SUN, VOLCANO, and FIRE all burn peoplewhen anyone interacts with them. Similarly, LIGHTNING causes FIRE and burns whatever it hits, making it the natural word to have with the others.
Other Games Like Connections
If you are looking for another puzzle to play,check out one of the ones in the box below.
Is It Free To Play?
Wordle(NYT)
Solve a random five-letter word by using color clues.EveryWordleanswercan be found in our daily updated list.
Yes
Crosswordle
Find the two words that intersect each other like a crossword puzzle.
The Password Game
Create a password in this ever-changing, not-so-simple game. You can find somehelpful tips in ourPassword Gameguide.
