How to Play Word Groups: Rules of the Word Connection Puzzle
In a word groups puzzle you get 16 words that hide four groups of four. Pick four words you think share a connection and submit them: if you're right, they lock together as a coloured group; if you're wrong, you lose one of your four mistakes. Find all four groups before your mistakes run out to win. Some words seem to fit more than one group, so the trick is working out which one they really belong to.
The board
Each puzzle starts with sixteen words in a 4 × 4 grid, in a random order. Hidden among them are exactly four groups of four. A group can be a plain category (fruit), a description (things with shells), a word that fits a blank (___FISH) or wordplay (words hiding an animal). The puzzle was made popular by the New York Times' Connections; Word Groups on GameLake is our own version, with boards written in six languages.
How to play
- Look over the sixteen words and find four that seem to share something.
- Tap the four words, then Submit.
- If all four belong together, they become a coloured bar showing the group's name, and leave the board.
- If not, you lose one of your four mistakes. When three of your four words were right, you're told you're one away.
- Keep going until you've found all four groups (you win) or used up your mistakes (the round ends and the answers are shown).
The four colours
Groups come in four levels of difficulty, each with its own colour. On GameLake they are:
| Colour | Level | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Lime | Plain category | Fruit: KIWI, MANGO, CHERRY, LEMON |
| Teal | Things that… | Things with shells: EGG, SNAIL, TURTLE, COCONUT |
| Orange | Fill in the blank | ___FISH: STAR, SWORD, GOLD, JELLY |
| Violet | Wordplay | Hidden animals: SCATTER, BEARD, PIGMENT, ANTHEM |
Easy boards use the first two levels, Medium boards have one group of each, and Hard boards lean on the orange and violet groups.
Red herrings: words that fit twice
The puzzle is hard because some words fit more than one group. In the example there are five fruits (KIWI, MANGO, CHERRY, LEMON and COCONUT), but only four can be the fruit group. COCONUT also has a shell, and the shell group needs it, because without it there are only three things with shells. So the fruit group is the other four.
Every GameLake board is checked to have exactly one way to split the sixteen words into four groups, so careful thinking can always prove the answer before you submit.
Help when you're stuck
- Shuffle moves the words around. A new layout often shows a link you missed.
- Teach me has Hops name the easiest group left and give you one of its words.
- The Daily board is the same for everyone, and you can share your result as coloured squares without spoiling it.
- Race a friend on the same board by sending a link.
For techniques that solve harder boards, read our Word Groups strategy guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many mistakes can you make in Word Groups?
Four. Each wrong guess costs one lily pad, and the round ends when all four are gone.
What does "one away" mean?
Three of the four words you picked belong to the same group. Swap one word and try again.
Can a word belong to two groups?
A word can seem to fit two groups, but in the answer it belongs to only one. Those words are the red herrings.
What do the colours mean?
They show difficulty: lime is a plain category, teal is "things that…", orange is a fill-in-the-blank, and violet is wordplay.
Is there a daily Word Groups puzzle?
Yes. A new Daily board comes out every day, the same for everyone, and you can share your result without giving the answers away.