Word Groups Strategy: How to Solve Every Board
The best strategy for a word groups puzzle is to find a word that can only belong to one group and build that group around it, instead of grabbing the first four words that look alike. If five or more words seem to fit one group, one of them is a red herring that belongs elsewhere. For the hardest groups, try each word with a blank before or after it (___FISH, FIRE___) and look inside long words for hidden smaller words.
1. Don't submit the first four you see
The obvious group is often a trap. Puzzle writers put five or six words on the board that fit the easiest category, so that one of them steals a place from a harder group. Before you submit, list every word that could fit the group you've spotted. If there are exactly four, go ahead. If there are five, keep thinking.
2. Start from the word with only one home
Look for an odd word out: one that seems to fit nothing at first, or only one thing. It's usually part of the orange or violet group. Ask what it could possibly share with three other words on the board, and that group often appears.
3. Count the candidates
When a group has more than four candidates, the extra ones belong to another group. On the board above, RAIN goes in front of BOW, COAT, DROP, FOREST and CHECK: five candidates for a group of four. So one of them is a herring.
Which one? Look at what's left after the keys (PIANO, MAP, LAPTOP, LOCK) and the teeth (ZIPPER, SAW, GEAR, COMB): BALL, ECHO and KANGAROO, which all bounce, need a fourth word. A cheque (CHECK) bounces too, so CHECK goes there, and the rain group is BOW, COAT, DROP and FOREST. Working out which words are spare in each group is the heart of solving hard boards.
Write the candidates down when a board is tricky. Seeing five words under one heading makes the herring obvious.
4. Try a blank before and after
Fill-in-the-blank groups (orange on GameLake) are the ones people miss most. Say each word with a common word in front or behind: ___BALL, ___FISH, ___HOUSE, ___BOARD, FIRE___, SUN___, RAIN___, BUTTER___. If three or four words suddenly make compound words, you've found it.
| Try… | Words that might fit |
|---|---|
| ___BALL | FOOT, BASKET, SNOW, MEAT, EYE, HAND |
| ___FISH | STAR, SWORD, GOLD, CAT, JELLY, SHELL |
| FIRE___ | WORK, PLACE, FLY, MAN, WOOD, ALARM |
| SUN___ | FLOWER, SHINE, GLASSES, SET, RISE |
5. Look inside long words
The violet group is usually wordplay: a hidden word, a sound, a spelling trick. Long words that don't fit anything are the best clue. Read them slowly and look for smaller words hiding inside: sCATter, BEARd, PIGment, ANThem all hide animals. Other wordplay groups use words that sound like letters (SEA, TEA, EYE, PEA) or words that read the same backwards.
6. Solve the easy group last, not first
It sounds backwards, but the easiest category is the most likely to have a herring in it. If you can find the hardest group first, the easy one sorts itself out at the end, because only four words will be left. When you're unsure, solve whichever group has exactly four clear candidates, whatever its colour.
7. Use "one away" wisely
"One away" tells you three of your four are right. Don't just swap words at random: think about which of your four could also belong to another group, and which unused word could replace it. One smart swap is better than three blind ones.
8. Shuffle and look again
Our eyes group words that sit next to each other. Shuffle puts them in new places and breaks false patterns. If you're still stuck, Teach me has Hops name the easiest group left and give you one of its words, without solving it for you.
New to the game? Start with how to play Word Groups, or play a board now. There's a new Daily every day.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best strategy for word connection puzzles?
Find a word that fits only one group and build from there, count how many words fit each group, and look for fill-in-the-blank and hidden-word groups before submitting the obvious one.
How do you spot a red herring?
If five or more words fit a group, one belongs elsewhere. Find the group that needs it, and the extra word becomes clear.
Which group is the hardest?
Usually the wordplay group (violet on GameLake): hidden words, sound-alikes and other tricks. Fill-in-the-blank groups (orange) come next.
Should you guess when you're not sure?
Only when you've narrowed it down. You have four mistakes, so a guess that teaches you something (like "one away") can be worth it, but random guesses run out fast.