If you are finding today’s Connections puzzle tricky, you’ve come to the right place.

To help you maintain your winning streak, Newsweek has compiled some helpful hints to guide you through Sunday’s puzzle—without giving too much away.

Connections has gained a massive following since its launch in The New York Times in June 2023 and is second only to Wordle in terms of popularity.

The puzzle tests players’ abilities to group words based on subtle connections, requiring a mix of logic and language skills.

This article will walk you through the basics of the game, offer tips to improve your puzzle-solving skills, and provide hints for Sunday’s challenge.

How to Play Connections

In Connections, players must group 16 words into four categories based on their relationships. Each group is coded by color to indicate difficulty: yellow for the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple for more challenging sets.

The puzzles often incorporate homophones, wordplay, and other clever twists, ensuring they are rarely straightforward. Players can use a shuffle button to mix up the words on the screen if they get stuck.

Wyna Liu, crossword editor at the NYT who was asked to develop Connections, recently offered tips for tackling the game in an interview with Newsweek.

“My top advice is to hold off on guessing as long as you can,” Liu said. “You might spot a clear category and think you see five words that fit, but don’t try guessing the four until you’re sure which one doesn’t belong. Jumping in too soon can cost you a turn.”

Liu also warned against what she calls “rage solving,” a method she confessed to using herself on occasion.

Connections #623 Clues for Sunday, February 23

Newsweek has some hints to help you figure out today’s categories.

Yellow: Friction creates heat when you do this with your hands.

Green: Look inside your fridge.

Blue: The most important meal of the day.

Purple: Some of these might be familiar to you if you are clumsy.

Connections #623 Answers for Sunday, February 23

Yellow category: Rub together

Yellow words: Gnash, grate, grind, scrape

Green category: Ways to preserve food

Green words: Can, ferment, freeze, pickle

Blue category: Breakfast condiments

Blue words: Butter, hot sauce, jam, syrup

Purple category: Proverbial things that are spilled

Purple words: Beans, guts, milk, tea

Did you guess the answers correctly? If so, congratulations. If not, there will be another opportunity to crack a new puzzle on Monday.