The New York Times daily Connections puzzle for November 6th, 2023, tested players with a mix of common and obscure associations. This article provides the solutions and a brief look at how the game’s difficulty has evolved since its launch.
Today’s Puzzle Breakdown
The goal of Connections is to group four words together based on a shared theme. Here are the solutions for today’s board:
- Yellow (Easiest): Cost. The words were amount, figure, price, and value. This category relies on direct synonyms, making it the most straightforward grouping.
- Green: Ways to Unlock a Device. The answers are face, fingerprint, password, and PIN. These represent common biometric and alphanumeric access methods for modern smartphones and computers.
- Blue: Parts of a Ship. The puzzle used aft, deck, fore, and mast. This category relies on nautical terminology, making it less accessible to casual players.
- Purple (Hardest): Features of a Cartoon Cupid. The solution set includes arrow, bow, diaper, and wings. The inclusion of “diaper” is a classic Connections trick – an unexpected yet technically correct association.
The Rising Difficulty Trend
The NYT has seen increased engagement with its Games section, including the launch of a Connections Bot that tracks player performance. This bot measures completion rates, perfect scores, and win streaks. The game’s creators seem to be responding to this engagement by deliberately making puzzles more challenging.
The most difficult past puzzles often include words with multiple meanings or obscure connections:
- Puzzle #5: Used the phrase “things you can set,” including mood, record, table, and volleyball.
- Puzzle #4: Featured “one in a dozen,” with egg, juror, month, and rose.
- Puzzle #3: Asked for “streets on screen,” including Elm, Fear, Jump, and Sesame.
- Puzzle #2: Asked for “power ___” with nap, plant, Ranger, and trip.
- Puzzle #1: Asked for “things that can run,” including candidate, faucet, mascara, and nose.
The inclusion of such varied concepts reflects a trend toward more complex, lateral-thinking puzzles.
Why This Matters
The escalating difficulty of NYT Connections mirrors a broader trend in puzzle design: developers are intentionally increasing the cognitive load to maintain player interest. By introducing unexpected connections and obscure vocabulary, the game forces players to think creatively. This keeps engagement high while also testing the limits of pattern recognition.
In conclusion, today’s Connections puzzle was moderately challenging, with the purple category proving the most difficult. The game’s increasing complexity suggests that future puzzles will demand even more abstract and lateral thinking from players.
