The Power of Synonyms: Trick to Beating NYT Connections
Ever get stuck trying to solve the daily nyt connections puzzle and feel like your brain just hit a wall? You're not alone. A lot of folks find themselves scratching their heads, trying to group those 16 words into neat categories. But here’s a simple trick that can really help: focus on synonyms.Synonyms are words that mean the same thing or come really close. Think about "happy," "joyful," "cheerful," and "glad." They all get the point across in slightly different ways, but the meaning is similar. Spotting these kinds of word clusters is one of the easiest ways to start solving the game faster.
Sometimes, the words in the puzzle don’t seem to match up at first glance. That’s where your synonym radar needs to switch on. Say you see the words "large," "giant," "huge," and "massive." Even if “giant” makes you think of storybook giants at first, if you pause and look at the meaning of the word, you’ll notice they all describe something big. Bam – that’s a group.
Another nice benefit of thinking in synonyms is it helps catch trickier matches. For example, words like "shut," "close," "seal," and "lock" might not seem like a group right away. But if you think about what actions they describe – something being shut or blocked – they actually work together. It’s all about the meaning underneath each word.
One tip: when you’re unsure, just say the word out loud and think, “What else means kind of the same thing?” If three or four other words pop into your head, that’s a good sign you’re onto a group. Even if you're not 100% sure, it doesn't hurt to test out the combo. You usually get four tries – use them!
You don’t need to be a walking dictionary to do this. You just need to pay attention to how words make you feel and what they make you think of. With time, your “synonym sense” gets sharper.
So next time you’re stuck, don’t overthink it. Just ask yourself: “What’s another word that means this?” You might be surprised how often the answer is hiding in plain sight.