Connections
Sort 16 English words into 4 hidden groups. New puzzle daily — ESL-friendly themes from rhymes to phrasal verbs.
About Connections
Connections is a daily English word grouping puzzle inspired by the NYT classic, redesigned for ESL learners. Each puzzle shows sixteen English words and asks you to sort them into four hidden groups of four. The groups can be tied together by rhyme, meaning, CEFR level, shared first letter, phrasal verb root or grammar category — and the categories change every day.
The difficulty climbs from yellow (easiest) to green, blue and finally purple (trickiest), so each puzzle is a small learning arc rather than a single trick. You have four mistakes before the board locks. The clever part for English learners is the category set itself: when you finally see that the four blue words are all C1-level synonyms of "angry", or all rhyme with "light", you have just learned a vocabulary pattern that will stick because you discovered it instead of being told.
After you finish, every group reveals a one-line explanation plus the CEFR tags for each word, turning the puzzle into a structured mini-lesson. Connections suits intermediate B1+ learners who want a slower, thinkier puzzle than Wordle, teachers who need a warm-up that touches semantics and phonology in five minutes, and anyone who loves a good "aha" moment. Play free, no sign-up needed; sign in only if you want to save streaks.
Why play Connections?
- ✓ Trains semantic grouping — the deepest layer of vocabulary mastery.
- ✓ Each daily puzzle covers four different categories, so coverage is wide.
- ✓ Post-solve explanations turn every game into a tiny lesson.
- ✓ Difficulty arc (yellow to purple) keeps both new and advanced learners engaged.
How to play
- Tap four words you think belong together.
- Press Submit to check.
- Solve all four groups with at most four wrong guesses.
- Read the explanation of each group after you finish.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I play Connections?
You see sixteen words in a 4×4 grid. Tap any four words you think share a category, then press Submit to check. If they form a real group the tiles lock in with a colour and disappear. If not, the count of mistakes goes up. You have four mistakes before the puzzle ends. Solve all four groups to win and unlock the category explanations.
What kind of groups should I look for?
Categories rotate daily but typically include: synonyms of one meaning (such as four words for "happy"), rhyming sets, shared CEFR levels, phrasal verbs sharing the same particle, words that follow one preposition, or themed sets such as "weather words" or "kitchen verbs". The yellow group is always the easiest; purple is the trickiest twist.
Is Connections good for ESL vocabulary?
Yes, very. Sorting words by category is the deepest test of vocabulary mastery — you cannot guess by spelling, only by meaning. The end-of-game reveal explains every group, so when you discover that four words are all C1 synonyms of "tired", that pattern sticks. It is especially strong for B2 and C1 learners building synonym networks.
How is this different from NYT Connections?
The mechanic is similar, but the word pool is tuned for English learners. Categories explicitly include ESL-friendly themes like CEFR levels, phrasal verb particles, and rhyme families, and the explanation at the end teaches the pattern instead of just naming it. The puzzle uses the 7ESL lexicon, so words are pitched at A2 to C1 difficulty rather than native trivia.
Can I play without signing up?
Yes. Connections is fully playable as a guest with no sign-up. Your daily streak is saved locally on your device. Logging in is only needed if you want your streak and history to sync between phone and laptop, or merge with your wider 7ESL account progress.