Connections is one of the most popular word association games in the New York Times’ puzzle repertoire. Like Wordle, there’s a new puzzle to play every day, but unlike Wordle, Connections is all about connecting an existing set of words through common themes, rather than guessing an individual word yourself.

Of course, this may vary from player to player, but we’d say that Connections is much more of a brain teaser than Wordle, so having clues and hints will come in handy, especially if you’re running out of guesses. Below is everything you need to know about puzzle #1200 on September 23.

How difficult is today’s Connections? Plus, hints for each group

As always, you need to sort the grid of sixteen words/phrases into four groups of four. One of the most difficult things in Connections can be knowing where to start – it tends to get easier as you narrow down the pool of words. Here are a few hints and starter words for each group to get the ball rolling. In terms of difficulty, NYT rates today’s puzzle (#1200) as a 2.2 out of 5.

Group name clues

• 🟨 Don’t forget these before you go out
• 🟩 Obstacles you may face online
• 🟦 These are packed in tins
• 🟪 Describing something new at the end

One answer from each group

• 🟨 KEYS
• 🟩 AGE VERIFICATION
• 🟦 CONDENSED MILK
• 🟪 BITCOIN

Today’s Connections answers (September 23, puzzle #1200)

If you’ve run through all the clues for different groups but are still stumped and cannot complete the entire puzzle, the full results are below. As always, there are four groups, each with four words.

• 🟨 Things you grab before leaving the house: KEYS, PHONE, SUNGLASSES, WALLET
• 🟩 Website hurdles: AGE VERIFICATION, CAPTCHA, COOKIE CONSENT, PAYWALL
• 🟦 Things that come in cans: CONDENSED MILK, PAINT, SHAVING CREAM, SPAM
• 🟪 Ending in synonyms for “term”: BITCOIN, RECORD LABEL, RUB-A-DUB, SURINAME

Does Connections get harder every day?

No, difficulty doesn’t inherently scale each day. Still, some Connections will be harder than others – or be particularly hard if you’re missing a frame of reference or lack knowledge in a certain topic. If one or more of the groups is all about linking together, for example, names of baseball players, or a topic you’re not knowledgeable about, then you can quickly struggle with where to start. Colors represent difficulty across groups, from yellow (the easiest) to purple (the most difficult).

We’d say that the game progressively gets easier as you complete a category or two, since you’re thinning out the words and can remove any potentially incorrect links (many words in the puzzle may seem to belong to a common theme, but end up acting as red herrings). You can only make four mistakes before it’s game over, so if you’re on your last guess, it may be worth consulting our hints and clues before you commit to an answer.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.