NYT Connections Hints, July 18: Categories and answers to decode the Friday puzzle #768

Economic Times

4 days ago

The New York Times' daily puzzle, Connections, has once again drawn the attention of word game enthusiasts across the globe with its latest challenge on July 18, 2025. The game, known for its mix of logic, vocabulary, and occasional misdirection, featured a compelling set of words that tested both casual players and seasoned solvers. If you found today's puzzle (#768) more difficult than usual, you're not alone.
Below is a comprehensive guide to today's puzzle, along with the NYT Connections hints, solution breakdown, and tips for those still grappling with the logic of this widely loved word association game.
Following the resounding success of Wordle, the New York Times introduced Connections, a daily word association game that has steadily gained popularity. Designed to be accessible yet challenging, it presents players with 16 words on a 4x4 grid. The task? Group them into four categories of four, based on shared themes, associations, or concepts.Each group is color-coded by difficulty: Yellow: Easiest
Green: Moderate
Blue: Difficult
Purple: Trickiest
The daily routine has become a cherished part of many players' mornings, much like the crossword and spelling bee. But today's puzzle proved particularly tricky.
To assist solvers without giving away the solution right away, here's a set of helpful hints for today's Connections puzzle. Each category points toward a specific theme, as per a report by Beebom:
Yellow – Think of things happening in a row
Green – Phrases linked to understanding or realizing
Blue – Positions used in traditional wellness practices
Purple – Items that commonly begin with 'Electric' These clues aim to guide you toward each category without outright revealing the answers. If you've tried rearranging the words but still haven't cracked it, you're not alone—today's words had players stumped after multiple incorrect groupings.
For those who reached their guess limit or just want clarity, here are the official categories used in today's puzzle, as mentioned in a report by Beebom:
Yellow – SEQUENCE
Green – PICK UP ON
Blue – YOGA BACKBENDS
Purple – ELECTRIC_ _ _ These categories may seem straightforward in hindsight, but the arrangement and ambiguity of the words made them difficult to decipher.
Now for those seeking the complete solution, here are the word groupings for July 18: SEQUENCE: RUN, SERIES, STREAK, STRING
PICK UP ON: CATCH, NOTE, SEE, SPOT
YOGA BACKBENDS: BRIDGE, COBRA, COW, WHEEL
ELECTRIC_ _ _: BLANKET, EEL, GUITAR, SLIDE
The puzzle cleverly blended common and obscure associations. The category for yoga poses, for instance, stumped many solvers unfamiliar with wellness terminology, while the 'electric' group leaned heavily into compound nouns.Connections requires players to think laterally, drawing associations between terms that might not seem linked at first glance. With only four incorrect attempts allowed per day, precision is critical. Once a guess is made, the player either receives confirmation of a correct group or loses one of their four chances.To improve your performance in future games, keep the following strategies in mind, as mentioned in a report by Beebom: Look for common patterns: Often, compound words or similar grammatical categories will point toward a connection.
Shuffle the board: Clicking the shuffle button can help break mental patterns and reveal fresh groupings.
Start with the obvious: Identify the easiest pairings and build from there—this often unlocks the trickier sets later.
Think broadly, then narrow down: Don't fixate on niche meanings too early; the game rewards general associations.
NYT Connections is a daily word association game from The New York Times . Players are given 16 words and must organize them into four groups of four based on shared themes or concepts.Players are allowed four incorrect guesses per day. After that, the game ends.