‘Connections’ March 17: Hints and Answers for Puzzle #645

Are you finding Monday’s Connections puzzle a struggle? You are not alone.

Newsweek has put together a set of hints to help you along, without revealing too much.

Since its debut in The New York Times in June 2023, Connections has garnered a massive fan base.

This puzzle tests players’ ability to group words based on subtle relationships, requiring both logical reasoning and a strong command of language.

Phone in hand — Stock image: A woman holds a cellphone in her hand.

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How To Play ‘Connections’

Connections tasks players with sorting 16 words into four distinct categories based on their underlying relationships. Each category is color-coded by difficulty, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple for progressively tougher challenges.

The puzzles frequently incorporate homophones, wordplay, and clever twists, ensuring they are anything but straightforward.

For example, Friday’s game linked the words “candy,” “ChapStick,” charging cable” and “magazine” under the “Checkout-line impulse buys” category.

Another category, “Movies of various lengths,” included the words “epic,” “feature,” “film series” and “short.”

If players get stuck, they can use the shuffle button to rearrange the words on the screen for a fresh perspective.

Wyna Liu, a crossword editor at The New York Times and the mastermind behind Connections, previously shared her strategies for tackling the game in an interview with Newsweek.

“My top advice is to hold off on guessing as long as you can,” Liu said. “You might spot a clear category and think you see five words that fit, but don’t try guessing the four until you’re sure which one doesn’t belong. Jumping in too soon can cost you a turn.”

Liu also warned against what she calls “rage solving,” a strategy she confessed to using from time to time.