On Tuesday, NYT Connections presented the puzzle number nine hundred forty that offers a board game that challenges the participants in both linguistics and poker. The challenge of the day is especially gratifying for those who can discover slight thematic connections among words that seem to be unrelated.

How Connections Works

For the players who are new to this, Connections introduces 16 words that are to be classified into four groups of four words each. The players have a maximum of four errors allowed, and the game applies a color-coded system for difficulty—from yellow (the easiest) to purple (the most difficult). The game, which was released in June 2023, has swiftly gained the status of a daily classic, being played together with Wordle and the crossword, loved for its smart misleading and difficult to match words.

Today’s Word Grid

Puzzle #940 presents the following 16 words:

PARTY | BOAT | QUARTERS | QUADS
CLEAR | BALLOON | FLUSH | STUFFED
RICH | PACK | PAD | DEEP
FLAT | FULL | STRAIGHT | DIGS

At first glance, they may seem random—but they align perfectly into four thematic groups.

Hints by Category

• Yellow: Think about where you might live or stay for the night.
• Green: Focus on words describing sound or tonal qualities.
• Blue: Poker players will recognize these as hand rankings.
• Purple: Each word pairs with “animal” to form a common phrase.

Solutions Explained

• Yellow (Apartment): DIGS, FLAT, PAD, QUARTERS — slang terms for living spaces or accommodations.
• Green (Sonorous): CLEAR, DEEP, FULL, RICH — adjectives describing audio quality and sound characteristics.
• Blue (Poker Hands): BOAT, FLUSH, QUADS, STRAIGHT — familiar names for winning poker hands.
• Purple (___ Animal): BALLOON, PACK, PARTY, STUFFED — forms phrases like “balloon animal” and “party animal.”

Puzzle Analysis

Puzzle #940 is moderately difficult. The yellow group is straightforward for anyone familiar with housing slang, while the green audio category requires some thought. Blue separates poker enthusiasts from casual players, and purple challenges players to think beyond literal meanings into common phrases. Words like “PACK” and “PARTY” serve as clever decoys, fitting multiple potential categories.

Looking Ahead

Puzzle #941 drops at midnight local time. The real value of Connections lies in pattern recognition and lateral thinking, not just perfect completion. Puzzle #940 is now solved—time to reset and prepare for the next challenge.