Spotting the purple group first, every time
Hidden words, homophones and fill-in-the-blanks: how to read wordplay early.
- Purple groups are almost always wordplay: hidden words, homophones, or words that complete a phrase.
- Reading each word out loud and inside out exposes the trick before you spend a mistake.
- Solving purple first removes the hardest decoys from the board.
- If five words fit an obvious category, the odd one out is probably purple.
Most Connections players start with yellow because it is easiest. Experienced players often start with purple, because once you see the trick the purple group is the most certain of the four, and removing it clears the decoys that make the other groups hard. Here is how to find it first.
The five purple patterns
Almost every purple group uses one of five devices. Hidden words: each word contains a smaller word, such as a planet, a number or a body part. Homophones: words that sound like letters, numbers or other words (SEA, WHY, QUEUE). Shared partners: words that all precede or follow the same word, like ___ CAKE or FIRE ___. Letter tricks: words that become new words when a letter is added, removed or swapped. Category with a twist: a plain category disguised by unusual forms, like NBA teams written as singular nouns.
Read the board three ways
First read it normally. Then read every word out loud, which catches homophones and rhymes. Then read each word inside out, scanning for smaller words at the start, middle and end. This takes thirty seconds and exposes most purple groups before you touch a tile.
Use the five-word test
If you can see five or six words that fit one obvious category, you have found a red herring, and the extra word is usually the purple one. Ask what else that word could be: SNAP looks like a garden word next to HOSE and RAKE, but it is also a card game. The category that absorbs the leftover word is often the purple group's partner.
Confirm before you submit
Purple should feel certain, not likely. Check that all four words share exactly the same device and that no fifth word on the board fits it too. If a fifth word fits, the group is probably not purple, or you have the wrong four.
Practise on past puzzles
Every day on our Connections hub has its own page with the 16 words shown spoiler-free, so you can test the method before opening the hints. Start with the category types list and work backwards from there.
FAQ
What is the purple group in Connections?+
The hardest of the four groups, usually built on wordplay rather than a plain category.
Should I solve purple first?+
Often, yes. Once you spot the wordplay, purple is the most certain group on the board and removing it makes the rest easier.
How do I recognise a hidden-word group?+
Look inside each word for a smaller word: MARSH hides MARS, PLUTOCRAT hides PLUTO.
What are the most common purple themes?+
Hidden words, homophones, words before or after a shared word, anagrams, and letters that spell something when combined.
