The Friday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #922, serving up a grid that rewards government knowledge and wordplay prowess. Today's challenge particularly favors political junkies and those who can spot sneaky nautical homophones.
What Makes Connections Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist? You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Since its June 2023 launch, Connections has carved out its niche in the Times' puzzle ecosystem, standing alongside Wordle and the crossword as a daily ritual for millions of players worldwide. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #922:
COOK | DATA | WORF | LABOR
BIRTH | ENERGY | DELIVERY | PEER
INTELLIGENCE | EDUCATION | GO OUT | INFORMATION
DOC | DETAILS | COMMERCE | LEFTOVERS
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: What a detective uncovers. Results of an investigation.
Green Category Clue: Too tired to cook? Here are your evening meal alternatives.
Blue Category Hint: Think Washington bureaucracy. These report directly to the President.
Purple Category Teaser: Sound it out. Maritime parking spots hide within.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
Yellow (Findings): DATA, DETAILS, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE
Straightforward vocabulary once you see the connection. Each word describes something you might discover or uncover during research or investigation. INTELLIGENCE might throw some initially, given its spy connotations, but in context it fits perfectly as gathered findings.
Green (Dinner Options): COOK, DELIVERY, GO OUT, LEFTOVERS
Here's where hungry solvers had an edge. All four represent ways to handle the eternal "what's for dinner?" question. COOK yourself, order DELIVERY, GO OUT to a restaurant, or raid the fridge for LEFTOVERS. The everyday relatability makes this one click quickly.
Blue (U.S. Cabinet Departments): COMMERCE, EDUCATION, ENERGY, LABOR
Politics enthusiasts likely breezed through this one. These are four of the federal government's executive departments, each headed by a Secretary who serves in the President's Cabinet. LABOR might've initially looked like it belonged with BIRTH, but that's classic Connections misdirection.
Purple (Homophones of Places to Park a Ship): BIRTH, DOC, PEER, WORF
Today's purple category earns its notorious difficulty through nautical wordplay. Each word sounds like a place to moor a vessel: BIRTH (berth), DOC (dock), PEER (pier), WORF (wharf). The Star Trek reference in WORF makes this especially devious, your brain wants it to mean something else entirely. Devious, elegant, and quintessentially purple.
The Verdict
Puzzle #922 registers as moderate difficulty with a sting in the tail. Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes synonym clusters, while green requires thinking about your evening routine. Blue separates the civics buffs from the casual observers. Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender, that nautical homophone trick won't reveal itself without serious lateral thinking.
The real trap today? LABOR desperately wanting to be grouped with BIRTH, or DATA looking like it belongs with INTELLIGENCE in a spy-themed category. Classic Connections misdirection.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone. Until then, reflect on today's performance: Did the Cabinet departments click immediately, or did purple's nautical wordplay claim another victim? The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #922 is solved. See you at midnight for round #923.
