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Word Groups game cover

Word Groups

Word · Sort 16 words into 4 hidden groups. Four mistakes allowed.

Word Groups is a free word connections game: sixteen words hide four groups of four, and you find what links them. Some words fit two groups, so think before you submit. Four mistakes and the round is over. Play Easy to Hard, a new Daily board every day, or race a friend.

How to play

  1. Look at the sixteen words and spot four that share something: a kind of thing, a word that fits a blank, or a hidden pattern.
  2. Tap the four words, then Submit. A right guess turns them into a coloured bar with the group's name.
  3. A wrong guess costs one of your four lily pads. If three of your four were right, Hops tells you you're one away.
  4. Groups come in four levels, coloured lime (easiest), teal, orange and violet (wordplay). Easy boards use the first two; Medium has one of each; Hard leans on the trickiest.
  5. Shuffle moves the words around, which often shows you a link you missed. Teach me has Hops name the easiest group left and give you one of its words.

Tips to win

  • Find a word that can only go in one group first, then build that group around it.
  • Watch for red herrings: if five words seem to fit one group, one of them belongs somewhere else.
  • Say the words with a blank in front or behind, like ___FISH or FIRE___. Fill-in-the-blank groups are hard to see at first.
  • Look inside long words for hidden animals, numbers or other words. The violet group is usually wordplay.

Questions

How do you play a word connections game?

Find four groups of four words that share something in common. Pick four words and submit; you can make four mistakes before the round ends.

Is Word Groups like other word connection games?

Yes. If you enjoy the New York Times' Connections, the idea will feel familiar. Word Groups has its own boards, written in six languages, a Teach me button, and races against a friend.

Is there a daily Word Groups puzzle?

Yes. The Daily board is the same for everyone that day, and you can share your result as coloured squares without giving the answers away.

Is it free?

Yes. Play free in your browser on phone, tablet or computer, with no download and no account.