NYT 'Connections' November 16: Clues and Answers for Game #524

The weekend has finally rolled around, but if that often means your brain struggles solving Connections, Newsweek is here to help.

Launched by The New York Times in June 2023, Connections quickly gained a large following, and it is now the news outlet’s second most-played game after the hugely popular brainteaser Wordle.

To keep your winning streak intact, Newsweek has compiled a set of hints to guide you through Saturday’s puzzle. If you would rather avoid spoilers, we advise you to move down the page with caution as the answers to the puzzle will be revealed at the bottom of the page.

How to Play ‘Connections’

Connections challenges players to categorize 16 words into four groups based on hidden connections such as homophones, synonyms and clever word associations.

Each group is color-coded to reflect its difficulty: yellow for the easiest, followed by green, blue and purple. The puzzles are rarely straightforward, often featuring homophones, wordplay and other techniques to keep players challenged. If players get stuck, they can use the shuffle button to rearrange the words on the screen.

Wyna Liu, a crossword editor at The New York Times who developed Connections, previously shared with Newsweek her tips for playing the game.

“My best piece of advice is to wait as long as you can before guessing,” Liu said.

“You may see the board and have completely identified the category, seeing five words that could belong in that category,” she continued. “Don’t try to guess the four words in that category because, even though you know what the fifth member is, you won’t know which of the four it might not be.” This would ultimately waste a turn.

“Don’t do what I do, which is ‘rage solve,'” Liu said.