You’re staring at a grid of gray boxes. It’s 11:15 PM, and your streak is on the line. Most people think they just need a better starting word, but honestly, the secret to mastering the New York Times games ecosystem isn't just about whether you start with "ADIEU" or "STARE." It's deeper. It’s about how you manage your cognitive load across their entire suite of puzzles.
The New York Times has transformed from a newspaper into a massive gaming powerhouse. They bought Wordle for a low seven-figure sum in 2022, and since then, the strategy for winning has shifted as the editors—specifically Tracy Bennett—have started to lean into more complex, sometimes trickier, vocabulary. If you're still using 2021 tactics, you're basically guessing in the dark.
The Wordle Strategy Shift Most People Miss
Stop using "ADIEU." Just stop. While it knocks out four vowels, it’s statistically one of the least efficient ways to narrow down the actual word. MIT researchers and data scientists like Matt Lira have looked at the math. The real New York Times tips for Wordle involve maximizing "letter frequency" over "vowel hunting."
Words like "CRANE" or "SLATE" are the heavy hitters. Why? Because consonants like 'R', 'N', and 'T' are much better at eliminating possibilities than a bunch of vowels that show up in almost every word anyway. You want to cut the field in half with every guess. If you’re just hunting for an 'E' or an 'I', you’re still left with hundreds of words. You need to narrow the structure.
Also, keep in mind that the NYT uses a curated list. They don't just pull from the whole dictionary. There are about 2,300 words in the original Wordle solution set. They occasionally add words, but they generally avoid plurals ending in 'S' or 'ES' as the final answer. If you're guessing "TREES," you’re wasting a turn. It’ll never be the answer.
📖 Related: The Dawn of the Brave Story Most Players Miss
Connections is a Trap and Here is Why
Connections is the new obsession. It’s arguably harder than Wordle because it relies on "red herrings." The game is designed to make you see a category that isn't there. Wyna Liu, the editor for Connections, is brilliant at this. She'll put four words that look like they belong to a "types of cheese" category, but one of them actually belongs to "words that start with a Greek letter."
The best way to play? Don’t click anything for the first minute. Look at all sixteen words. If you see five words that fit a category, that category is a trap. One of those words belongs elsewhere. You have to find the outlier first.
- Scan for the most "unique" or "difficult" word.
- See if that difficult word has any synonyms in the grid.
- If it doesn't, it’s likely part of a wordplay category—like "Words that follow 'GOLDEN'."
- Group the leftovers.
It’s about patience. Most people fail because they "fast-click" the easiest group. In Connections, the easy group is often the bait that prevents you from solving the Purple (hardest) group.
The Crossword and the Thursday Wall
New York Times tips for the Crossword always start with the same advice: start on Monday. The difficulty ramps up throughout the week. Monday is easy. Saturday is a nightmare. Sunday is just big, not necessarily the hardest.
👉 See also: Why the Clash of Clans Archer Queen is Still the Most Important Hero in the Game
But Thursday is the "gimmick" day. If the clues make no sense, there’s probably a "rebus"—where multiple letters go into a single square. Or maybe the words go backward. Or maybe they wrap around the grid. If you’re stuck on a Thursday, look for a "theme" in the long answers. Once you crack the theme, the rest of the puzzle usually falls like a house of cards.
Short clues are your best friend. Three-letter words like "ERA," "AREA," and "ORE" show up constantly. Crossword nerds call this "crosswordese." Learning these fillers is like learning the "ands" and "thes" of the puzzle world. You can’t build a house without the nails.
Beyond the Games: Using the App Like a Pro
The NYT Games app is actually a bit of a battery hog if you leave it open. But the "Sync" feature is what you really need to master. If you start a puzzle on your laptop at work—don't tell your boss—you can finish it on the subway on your phone.
Interestingly, many people don't realize the "Archive" is the best value for the subscription. You can go back and play years of Wordle or Crosswords. It’s the best way to practice. If you want to get good at the modern Crossword style, play through the Mondays and Tuesdays of 2023 and 2024. The slang changes. Ten years ago, a "tablet" clue would be about stone; today, it’s an iPad.
✨ Don't miss: Hogwarts Legacy PS5: Why the Magic Still Holds Up in 2026
Managing Your Streak Without Losing Your Mind
Streaks are a psychological trick. They make the game feel like a chore. The NYT knows this. It’s "gamification." If you lose a streak, don't quit. Honestly, the best players I know miss days on purpose just to break the cycle. It keeps the game fun instead of making it a second job.
When you're stuck on the Spelling Bee, remember that the "Center Letter" must be in every word. Don't waste time on long words that don't include it. Use the "Hints" page on the NYT site. It tells you how many words start with each letter and how many "Pangrams" (words using every letter) exist. It’s not cheating; it’s using the provided resources to learn the dictionary the editors use.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Solve
To actually improve your stats and stop failing at the last minute, change your daily routine with these specific moves:
- Switch your Wordle opener to "SLATE," "CRANE," or "TRACE." These provide the best balance of common consonants and vowels based on the NYT's specific solution list.
- Wait to lock in Connections. Identify the "Red Herrings" by finding words that fit into more than one potential group before you make your first selection.
- Memorize "Crosswordese." Spend ten minutes looking up a list of common 3-letter crossword words. It will save you hours of frustration on mid-week puzzles.
- Use the Spelling Bee Grid. If you're one word away from "Queen Bee" status, use the official NYT Hints grid to see the starting letter combinations you're missing.
- Ignore the timer. Speed doesn't give you extra points in most of these games, but it does cause unforced errors. Slowing down by just 30 seconds can improve your Wordle average by an entire turn.
Mastering these games is less about being a genius and more about understanding the patterns of the people who build them. Tracy Bennett and Wyna Liu have "signatures." Once you start seeing their logic, the puzzles stop being a wall and start being a conversation. Stay consistent, but don't let the streak own you.