Start with the spoiler-free hints. Go deeper only when you need to. Reveal answers on your own terms.
A direction for each group — no names given.
What kind of thinking each group asks for.
Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.
Every Connections board plants a few decoys. Here are today’s, and why they pull you the wrong way.
Resembles 'enemy' and names a sea creature, tempting solvers to group it with animals instead of flowers.
Contains 'lark' (a bird), so it can be miscategorized among real or mythical creatures.
Looks like a garment (a monk's hood), which could pull someone toward a clothing category.
LEGS, MOMENTUM, STAMINA, and TRACTION all convey endurance or the ability to keep going — whether in business, sports, or daily life.
ACCESSORIZE, CHANGE, PRIMP, and SHOWER are steps one might take to prepare physically and sartorially before an evening social event.
DOG, DRAGON, HORSE, and SNAKE are four of the twelve creatures in the Chinese zodiac cycle, a familiar cultural reference.
ANEMONE, LARKSPUR, MONKSHOOD, and PHLOX are all flowering plants — but their names can easily distract, evoking animals, birds, or clothing.
Wyna Liu plants a garden of misdirection with ANEMONE, LARKSPUR, and MONKSHOOD, each masquerading as an animal or clothing to lure solvers away from FLOWERS. The GET READY FOR A NIGHT OUT group uses active verbs that feel like a pre-party checklist, while STAYING POWER and CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMALS provide accessible footholds. The purple category's simplicity belies its trap — a reminder that even the most obvious theme can be disguised by suggestive spelling.
a textbook decoy
requires lateral thinking
Solving the easiest group first reshapes how you read the entire board.
The editors reuse certain misdirection patterns. Learning to spot them saves guesses.
Purple is never what it first appears to be. Six structural patterns explain most of them.
Film titles, band names, and celebrity surnames hide in plain sight.
