NYT Connections: clues and solutions for Friday, March 14

      Connections is regarded as one of the top puzzle games available from the New York Times. The objective of the game is to sort a collection of 16 words into four secret groups by determining how the words are interconnected. The puzzle resets at midnight every day and each one presents a different level of difficulty. Similar to Wordle, players can track their winning streaks and compare scores with friends.

      Some days are more challenging than others, akin to other NYT Games favorites such as The Mini and Strands. If you're finding it difficult to solve today's puzzle, take a look at our Connections tips and tricks guide for effective strategies, or explore the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. Should you still be stuck, we’ll provide today’s answers at the end.

      How to play Connections

      Connections is a daily game focused on identifying relationships between words. Players need to select four groups of four words while making no more than three mistakes. You can start playing now.

      You can engage with Connections on the New York Times website or through the NYT Games app on either iOS or Android. In Connections, you’ll see a grid of 16 words, and your goal is to organize these words into four sets of four by understanding the connections that unite them. Possible sets might include categories like titles of video game franchises, sequels of book series, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, and so forth.

      There are often words that might fit multiple categories, but there is only one completely correct solution. You can shuffle the grid and adjust the arrangement to better visualize the possible connections. Each group is color-coded, with the yellow group being the easiest to identify, followed by green, blue, and purple.

      Select four words and click Submit. If your selection is accurate, those four words will be removed from the grid, and the corresponding theme will be disclosed. An incorrect guess will count as a mistake, and you’re allowed only four mistakes before the game concludes.

      Hints for today’s Connections

      We can assist you in solving today’s Connection by providing you with the four themes. If you require further help, we will also share one word from each group below.

      Today’s themes:

      - IMPOSE, AS A PENALTY

      - CHECKOUT LINE IMPULSE BUYS

      - MOVIES OF VARIOUS LENGTHS

      - ___ ROAD

      One-answer reveals:

      - IMPOSE, AS A PENALTY – ASSESS

      - CHECKOUT LINE IMPULSE BUYS – CANDY

      - MOVIES OF VARIOUS LENGTHS – EPIC

      - ___ ROAD – DIRT

      New York Times

      Today’s Connections answers

      Not having success? That's fine; this puzzle is meant to be challenging. If you just want to see the answer for today’s Connections, we’ve got it listed below:

      - IMPOSE, AS A PENALTY – ASSESS, CHARGE, FINE, LEVY

      - CHECKOUT LINE IMPULSE BUYS – CANDY, CHAPSTICK, CHARGING CABLE, MAGAZINE

      - MOVIES OF VARIOUS LENGTHS – EPIC, FEATURE, FILM SERIES, SHORT

      - ___ ROAD – DIRT, HIGH, ROCKY, SILK

      Connections grids vary greatly and change daily. If you were unable to solve today's puzzle, be sure to check in again tomorrow.

      NYT Connection FAQs

      What time does the Connections puzzle change?

      The puzzle updates every day at midnight local time.

      Who edits the NYT Connections game?

      Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles at The New York Times since 2020, is the daily editor for Connections. “A few months ago, a new assignment came my way: to create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been approved and needed an editor,” Liu explained in an article about her process in June 2024. Most of my experience in puzzle creation has been with crosswords, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to try something different. I've enjoyed discovering how puzzle editing evolves once a game is approved, and observing how our team integrates into a broader ecosystem.”

      On the one-year anniversary of the launch of Connections earlier this year, Liu shared this TikTok about her favorite puzzles to date.