The Saturday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #951, serving up a grid that rewards wordplay mastery and childhood nostalgia. Today's challenge particularly favors those who can spot anagrams and remember classic playground games.
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 #951:
PLASTER | SLING | HIDE | BLANKET
PELT | SINK | RED | COAT
SKIN | COVER | CAST | INKS
SIMON | HURL | KINS | CAPTURE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about things you can apply or spread over a surface.
Green Category Clue: These are all actions involving propulsion through the air.
Blue Category Hint: Look for words that can be rearranged into each other.
Purple Category Teaser: Remember the first words of classic children's games.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Spread Over): BLANKET, COAT, COVER, PLASTER
These four words all describe ways to apply something over a surface or area.
BLANKET covers a bed, COAT applies paint or protection, COVER conceals something, and PLASTER spreads over walls - each represents a method of spreading or applying something extensively.
Green (Throw): CAST, HURL, PELT, SLING
This category collects verbs for throwing or propelling objects through the air.
CAST involves throwing with force (like a fishing line), HURL suggests violent throwing, PELT means to strike repeatedly with thrown objects, and SLING refers to throwing with a swinging motion.
Blue (Anagrams): INKS, KINS, SINK, SKIN
The clever wordplay here involves anagrams - these four words can all be rearranged into each other using the same letters.
INKS rearranges to SINK or SKIN, KINS rearranges to SINK or SKIN, and all four share the exact same letter combinations, making this a pure linguistic puzzle.
Purple (First Words of Kids' Games): CAPTURE, HIDE, RED, SIMON
This nostalgic category references the opening words of classic children's games.
CAPTURE comes from "Capture the Flag," HIDE from "Hide and Seek," RED from "Red Light, Green Light," and SIMON from "Simon Says" - each word triggers immediate recognition for anyone who spent time on playgrounds.
The Verdict
Puzzle #951 registers as moderate difficulty with a sting in the tail.
Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes synonym clusters, while green requires thinking about action verbs.
Blue separates the wordplay enthusiasts from casual solvers.
Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender - that childhood game connection won't reveal itself without serious memory recall.
The real trap lies in words like SKIN and COAT, which could easily fit with clothing or covering categories, and RED which might mislead solvers into color-based thinking.
SINK and INKS also create surface-level connections that distract from the anagram pattern.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone.
Until then, reflect on today's performance: did the anagram category stump you, or did childhood memories save your streak?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #951 is solved.
See you at midnight for round #952.
