The Friday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #936, serving up a grid that rewards vocabulary precision and lateral thinking. Today's challenge particularly favors those who can spot both literal and linguistic connections across seemingly disparate terms.
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 #936:
HIVE | ROUTINE | RECORD | NUMBER
LOG | STANDARD | BIT | JOT
QUASH | BAR | NOTE | EEK
METRIC | GAG | ALE | EXAMPLE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about different ways to document information.
Green Category Clue: These are all types of performances or acts.
Blue Category Hint: Consider what you might use to measure or evaluate something.
Purple Category Teaser: This one requires removing letters from common words to reveal something unexpected.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (WRITE): JOT, LOG, NOTE, RECORD
These four words all represent methods of documenting or capturing information. "Jot" refers to quickly writing something down, "log" is a systematic record, "note" is a brief written message, and "record" can be both a verb (to document) and a noun (the documentation itself). The connection is straightforward once you recognize the documentation theme, though "record" might initially tempt solvers toward other categories.
Green (SHTICK): BIT, GAG, NUMBER, ROUTINE
All four terms describe types of comedic or performance acts. In entertainment, a "bit" is a short comic routine, a "gag" is a joke or comic device, a "number" refers to a musical or dance performance, and a "routine" is a rehearsed performance sequence. The category requires recognizing these terms in their performance context rather than their more common meanings.
Blue (BENCHMARK): BAR, EXAMPLE, METRIC, STANDARD
These words all represent measures, models, or points of reference. A "bar" sets a standard to meet, an "example" serves as a model to follow, a "metric" is a measurement standard, and a "standard" itself is a benchmark. The connection is solid but requires abstract thinking about measurement and comparison rather than literal interpretations.
Purple (VEGETABLES MINUS STARTING LETTER): ALE, EEK, HIVE, QUASH
This is the puzzle's trickiest category, requiring lateral thinking. Each word becomes a vegetable when you remove its first letter: ALE becomes "le" (as in "leek"), EEK becomes "ek" (as in "kale"), HIVE becomes "ive" (as in "chive"), and QUASH becomes "uash" (as in "squash"). This category tests both vocabulary and pattern recognition, with the vegetable connection only revealing itself after the letter removal.
The Verdict
Puzzle #936 registers as moderate difficulty with a sting in the tail. Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes documentation methods, while green requires thinking about performance terminology. Blue separates those who think abstractly about measurement from those stuck on literal meanings. Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender - that vegetable homophone trick won't reveal itself without serious lateral thinking.
The real trap lies in words like "record" and "number" that could fit multiple categories. "Record" could pair with "log" and "note" in documentation, but also with "metric" and "standard" in measurement. "Number" works both as a performance act and as a mathematical concept that could connect with "metric." These cross-category possibilities create the puzzle's tension and challenge.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone. Until then, reflect on today's performance: did you spot the performance terminology in green, or did the vegetable letter-removal in purple catch you off guard? The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #936 is solved. See you at midnight for round #937.
