In addition to being a renowned news site, The New York Times contains daily games including classics like crossword puzzles and sudoku. They also include original games such as Connections, Strands, and Wordle. These literary puzzles include a variety of challenges such as the addictive word guessing game, Wordle, the most popular New York Times game that gained great popularity when it was first released. However, which one is better, Strands or Connections?
Strands is The New York Times’ newest game, released in May 2024. This game has a daily theme that is often put in the form of some kind of riddle or word play. It, along with additional words that fall under that theme, are hidden in a word search. The goal is to discover the theme and other words in the wordsearch using as little hints as possible. Words that are found, but may not relate to the theme, are then put towards hints to help you find the words.
Strands combines the fun of riddles with the joy of a wordsearch. I feel that unlike Connections, the topics are clear and fairly easy to understand. Oftentimes, Connections includes red herrings, niche themes, and obscure words, whereas once the theme from Strands is uncovered, the other words then fall into place. While I never shy away from a challenging puzzle, I enjoy the level of difficulty that Strands poses, as mostly needed to discover the overarching theme. I find that the tools they give you create a satisfying solution to the puzzle, at the perfect level of difficulty.
Connections is another of the New York Times games, released in June 2023, and the second most popular game after Wordle. The game’s purpose is to find groups of four items in a 4×4 grid that share something in common. Each group is assigned a colour, ranging from easiest to most difficult: yellow, green, blue, and purple. As you solve, the groups’ colours will be revealed – and you have to do this without making four mistakes, limiting you from simply guessing the answers. Connections is a game for word enthusiasts who want to try something beyond the word search puzzles you did in third grade. It offers multiple themes to cover various interests so that if one does not interest you or is too difficult, you can focus on another. The common thread between the words is often subtle but cohesive and gives you the rewarding “aha” moment when uncovered. Strands, however, consists of a single, ambiguous statement such as “This and that” or “Do the Do”. You can, of course, use the hints – but why spoil a sense of achievement when you can have the stale crumbs of a shortcut? Therefore, I prefer Connections as it allows you a few minutes of break from work while still offering a worthwhile challenge.
