New York Times Slips Subtle ‘Apology’ Into Puzzle After Confusing Past Round
Screenshot via New York Times Games
The New York Times Games’ Connections puzzle last Saturday caused a mini uproar among wordsmiths, prompting the newspaper to make a cheeky reference to the oversight on Monday.
Connections, a brainchild of the New York Times Games launched in June 2023, has quickly become a staple for those who love to stretch their linguistic muscles. The game presents players with a grid of 16 words each day, tasking them with the mission to sort these words into four groups based on hidden themes. These themes can range widely, from pop culture references to scientific terms, making each puzzle a unique test of knowledge and creativity. Its appeal lies in its simplicity and the joy of uncovering the links between seemingly disparate words, all without the pressure of scores or competition.
On Saturday, March 2, the daily word association challenge had players scrambling to connect “FOOT,” “KELVIN,” “METER,” and “MOLE.” Many assumed “units” was the hidden theme, only to discover it wasn’t one of the day’s four categories. The confusion sparked a flurry of feedback from players.
Better than me. I out-clevered myself by remembering that the Mole is a scientific measure (6.023*10^23).
— King Beauregard (@KingBeauregard) March 2, 2024
Connections
Puzzle #265
🟩🟨🟪🟩
🟪🟦🟦🟦
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟩🟩🟩🟩
Enter Wyna Liu, the game’s editor, with a clever response within the challenge on Monday, March 4. In a “lowkey apology” (as Axios puts it), Liu slipped in the category “what a mole can be,” featuring the clues “ANIMAL,” “BIRTHMARK,” “SPY,” and, of course, “UNIT.”
Connections
— sprout (@laur3njun) March 4, 2024
Puzzle #267
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪
not them rubbing mole in my face I GET IT
This playful nod validated what many players initially thought: the humble mole could indeed be a unit.
For the uninitiated, unlike the familiar meter or gram, a mole is not a physical measurement. Instead, the unit, represented as “mol,” is a massive scale used to count particles—like atoms or molecules. One mole is equal to a whopping 6.022 x 10^23, which signifies the number of particles in one gram of a substance if it existed entirely as individual particles. This seemingly mind-boggling number helps scientists work with and compare incredibly small amounts of matter with greater ease.
[via Axios, cover screenshot via New York Times Games]
