The language ofConnectionscan sometimes be strange, especially when words that haven’t been part of your vocabulary are used.Today’s puzzle is a little odd, and the categories are quite different. Sometimes this makes it easier and sometimes it makes it harder to figure out, all depending on how your brain works. Well, we luckily figured this one out, so we can help you do the same.

If you want some more language-based fun, you should check out theNYT’sMini Crosswordpuzzle. It is much like its larger sibling, and it asks thatyou not only know the language but also know some cultural references and definitions. This can make it a little tricky, but with it being in bite-sized form it is a little easier to not lose patience and solve it in one go.

A character jumping on a Connections board.

10 Best Connections Tips, Tricks, & Strategies

Four categories with four words each sounds simple, but the daily challenge of the Connections game can prove difficult without a few tips to help.

Today’s Connections Category Hints

AUGUST 17 #432

InConnections, there is a fair amount of guesswork up front as you attempt to figure out what the editor was trying to put together. We have attempted to take some of that guesswork out of the equation early by giving you some hints about what the categories are:

As we said earlier, today’s puzzle is a bit weird. There’s some interesting choices being made and the last category stands out as very different from the others. With that in mind, here are the category names:

Language in Connections Categories August 17

SPEECH

TONGUE

This one felt the easiest, although TONGUE could have been in the next category for fairly obvious reasons. However, it has alsolong been a word associated with LANGUAGE and DIALECT. SPEECH is the oddest one here in my opinion, as SPEECH is more about a single moment as opposed to an evolving process - perhaps idealized by Aragorn’s speech at the Black Gates - but it does make enough sense to be here.

MAKE OUT

NECK

This is about the time the puzzle got weird, and I would have rather went with the Sims' version of romantic entanglement. It’s a bit of an odd choice for a fairly family-friendly puzzle, although the target demographic would likely be adults in this situation.

Canoodle in itself is an extremely funny choiceas the word for the category as a whole, and I have to admit I burst out laughing when I saw what word they chose to use for the category.

Language for Connections Answers August 17

SCISSORS

TAPE

Very different from the last two categories, thisone is about items that are generally kept all together in a little box. BANDAGE, DRESSING, and TAPE almost are all certainly in nearly every first aid kit, but SCISSORS might not be. It depends on how fancy the kit is and what kind of scissors they chose to use with it. However, with three categories solved, it should make it easier to solve the rest of the puzzle.

PRAIRIE

RANCH

There are many different styles of houses out there, butthese house styles do actually kind of fit together in a rustic sort of wayeven given the more general category name. These all have a similar vibe and aesthetic, depending on the part of the country you are in.

Either way, decorating any of these with enough decorations to make it look like you are actually in a wilderness retreat is a 10/10 choice that can only lead to more happiness.

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Other Games Like Connections

Once you have dismissed the idea of redecorating your entire house, take a break and rewind with a different language-based puzzle.

Is It Free To Play?

Wordle(NYT)

Solve a random five-letter word by using color clues.EveryWordleanswercan be found in our daily updated list.

Yes

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Create a password in this ever-changing, not-so-simple game. you’re able to find somehelpful tips in ourPassword Gameguide.

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