Common Mistakes to Avoid When Playing Connections
If you’ve tried your hand at the connections game, you’ll know it can be trickier than it first seems. The basic idea is simple: find four words that connect in some way. But once you get going, it's easy to make a few common mistakes that can slow you down or throw you off completely.One big mistake is rushing. It’s so tempting to click quickly when you think you’ve found a group, but sometimes your first guess isn’t quite right. Take a moment to look at the words again. Do they really fit together, or are you trying to make a pattern that isn’t there? Groups sometimes seem obvious, but that doesn’t mean they’re correct.
Another common issue is focusing too much on just one kind of connection. You might start looking only for categories like animals or colors, but the game often includes connections like rhyming words, common phrases, or things that share a similar part of speech. Keep your mind open to different ways the words might be related.
A mistake many people make is ignoring repeat guesses. If you’ve guessed a group and it was wrong, don’t keep trying the same set with just one small change. Instead, look again at each word and think about what else it could be part of. Being stuck on one idea can make it harder to see better answers.
It’s also easy to overlook the importance of how many groups you’ve already solved. If you’ve already found two correct groups, remember that the remaining words must fit into the last two groups somehow. Use what you’ve learned from your correct guesses to narrow things down. Don’t try to solve each group in isolation—each part helps with the others.
Finally, don’t forget to take breaks. If you’re stuck, walking away for a few minutes can make a big difference. You might come back with fresh eyes and suddenly see an obvious link you missed before.
The game is meant to be challenging, but also fun. Mistakes are part of the learning process and can actually help you improve over time. With a bit of patience and a flexible way of thinking, you’ll get better at spotting the unusual patterns and surprising connections that make the game so enjoyable.