‘Connections’ March 11: Hints and Answers for Puzzle #639

If you’re finding today’s Connections difficult, Newsweek is here to lend a helping hand.

The popular game, which challenges players’ vocabulary, was released by The New York Times in 2023. Today, it’s the newspaper’s second-most popular game behind Wordle.

Back in 2020, Wyna Liu—puzzle editor at the NYT who comes up with the daily Connections brainteasers—said in an interview with the outlet that Brendan Emmett Quigley’s puzzle books helped shape her career.

“I recently rediscovered them at my parents’ house and got a little emotional when I realized the deep and formative influence they had on me,” she said. “Thanks, Mom.”

In a separate chat with Newsweek in 2024, Liu said that when it comes to creating Connections games specifically, she keeps a notebook and spreadsheet nearby for when inspiration strikes.

“I usually don’t know where a board is going to go,” she said in June. “It really does [take] a long time to fudge things and try different angles.”

Keep reading for Newsweek‘s top tips to solve #639 but be warned: The answers to today’s puzzle will also be revealed at the end of this article, so if you’d like to work it out for yourself, we suggest you scroll slowly to avoid spoilers.

How To Play ‘Connections’

To start the game, players are invited to “Create four groups of four!” from a set of 16 words. The four categories are color-coded, and from easiest to trickiest, they are: yellow, green, blue and purple.

For example, in Monday’s game, the words “sphynx,” “ragamuffin,” “Russian blue” and “Turkish angora” were associated with the yellow category, “Cat breeds.”

Luckily, you don’t need a subscription to The New York Times to play, as it’s free to all users.

‘Connections’ #639 Hints and Clues for Tuesday, March 11

Below are Newsweek‘s hints to help you with Tuesday’s game:

Yellow: Deviation

Green: Makes a ringing noise

Blue: Leather items

Purple: Last names of talented musicians

‘Connections’ #639 Answers for Tuesday, March 11

Yellow Category: VARIATION FROM THE NORM

Yellow Words: Alternative, Break, Change, Departure

Green Category: THINGS THAT RING

Green Words: Alarm, Bell, Intercom, Phone

Blue Category: THINGS TRADITIONALLY MADE OF LEATHER

Blue Words: Football, Moccasins, Saddle, Wallet

Purple Category: SINGER-SONGWRITER PIANISTS

Purple Words: Keys, King, Legend, Wonder

Amazing job if you answered today’s Connections correctly! But don’t be too hard on yourself if you didn’t—it was a tough one. Fortunately, you will get another chance on Wednesday when a new game will be available for you to try.

Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone, so be sure to check back with Newsweek daily for more hints, clues and answers.

While you wait patiently for the next Connections to drop, these other fun word-based games will keep you occupied.