Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn’t—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they’re usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we’ve got you covered.

What Is Connections?

Connections is a game from the New York Times. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4. Each group of words will be connected by some common idea or theme. That common element could be anything. We have seen everything from games that rely on the number of letters in the words to categories that require you to spot an extra letter at the end of the word. Sometimes they’re references to economics, other times they reference fairy tales. There is no telling what sort of association there will be between words.

Once you’re confident you understand the connection, select 4 words, then hit “Submit.” You have only four attempts in total, so don’t be too guess-happy.

The unsorted words for August 16 Connections game.

Hints for Today’s Connections Groups

Here are a few hints for the 431st Connections game to get you started:

Things That Go Up and Down (Purple):

The words for August 16 sorted into the correct groups.

Elevator, Sun, Tide, Yo-Yo

How Did We Solve This Connections Game?

The first word I started with was average. There really weren’t many options that matched any of its definitions besides fair, ok, and so-so. They were in the Yellow category, “Meh.”

HI, MA, OR, and PA are all “U.S. State Abbreviations,” and were in the Green group.

The last two groups were harder. Ankle first made me think of socks, but I eventually realized that only “Kinds of Boots” make sense, since there is no such thing as cowboy socks. Ankle, cowboy, go-go, and thigh-high were in the Blue group, “Kinds of Boots.”

That left elevator, sun, tide, and yo-yo in Purple, and after thinking about it for a minute, I realized that they all share a sort of motion: they go up and down. Purple was “Things That Go Up and Down.”

How Do You Guess Connections Groups?

There is no quick, reliable way to approach Connections like there is with Wordle, since Connections isn’t algorithmic. However, there are a few things to keep in mind that can help.

If you didn’t solve this one, don’t feel too bad—there’s always tomorrow! And those words may align with a topic you’re interested in, giving you a leg up on the competition.