‘Connections’ March 31: Hints and Answers for Puzzle #659

Since mid-June 2023, Connections has had its avid players across the globe scratching their heads, deciphering the answers for the daily word puzzle.

Connections, which has word-based gamers sorting through a series of words to sift out the links between them, is one of The New York Times‘ most popular puzzles.

Like Wordle, a word-based game that took the English-speaking world by storm during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Connections quickly gained success and a dedicated fan base trying each day to crack the categories.

How To Play Connections

In Connections, players must group 16 words into four categories based on their relationships. Each group is coded by color to indicate difficulty: yellow for the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple for more challenging sets.

The puzzles often incorporate homophones, wordplay, and other clever twists, ensuring they are rarely straightforward. Players can use a shuffle button to mix up the words on the screen if they get stuck.

Wyna Liu, crossword editor at the Times who was asked to develop Connections, recently offered tips for tackling the game in a recent interview with Newsweek.

“My top advice is to hold off on guessing as long as you can,” Liu said. “You might spot a clear category and think you see five words that fit, but don’t try guessing the four until you’re sure which one doesn’t belong. Jumping in too soon can cost you a turn.”

Connections #659 Clues for Monday, March 31

To help you on your way, Newsweek has compiled a few hints to help you deduce each of today’s Connections categories.

Yellow: The words in this category are all ways of describing consuming something.

Green: This category is looking for you to think of synonyms for “also.”

Blue: Think about what you could do when you’re at the bank.

Purple: All of the words in this category are the start of words ending in “play.”

Connections #659 Answers for Monday, March 31

Yellow Category: VERBS FOR CONSUMING SOMETHING

Yellow Words: Ate, Had, Put Away, Took In

Green Category: SYNONYMS OF THE WORD “ALSO”

Green Words: As Well, Besides, To Boot, Too

Blue Category: OPTIONS FOR USING AN ATM

Blue Words: Balance, Deposit, Transfer, Withdrawal

Purple Category: WORDS ENDING IN “PLAY”

Purple Words: Fore, Horse, Screen, Word

If you managed to guess all the answers correctly, well done! If not, there will be a new game released tomorrow with another chance to guess the categories, and Newsweek will be back with more tips and tricks to help you along!