Entire generations of Americans can recall sitting in their parents’ or grandparents’ living rooms, listening to the familiar spin of a big wheel coming through their television speakers. Once that wheel slowed to a stop, host Pat Sajak announced a letter value and waited for the contestant to guess a letter, buy a vowel, or try to solve the puzzle. Wheel of Fortune — like modern hits compared in today’s gaming conversations such as Connections word game vs Last Letter First — continues to show how wordplay can engage the mind and spark friendly competition. In this Connections Game Review, we see how these experiences evolve from TV classics to interactive mobile challenges that captivate a new generation of players.
Popular game shows such as Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and 25 Words or Less showcase that guessing can be addictive. There’s something magical about not knowing the answer to a puzzle; you can either rely on your knowledge or intuition, or you can throw your hands up in the air, admit that you’re just going to have to take a wild guess, and take your potential defeat in stride.
When you watch word games on TV, play them around a table with friends and family, or access them online through your smartphone, computer, or tablet, you’re permitting yourself to have fun, embrace the thrill of suspense, and dive into a brain-strengthening challenge. In fact, that’s what we admire about a game called Connections. If you love playing Last Letter First, you’re bound to enjoy this game, which exists in the same catalogue as Spelling Bee, Wordle, and Letterboxed.
Here comes our Connections game review — an honest take on what makes this game great, and why you should consider playing it if you’re a Last Letter First fan.
Connections Game Review
Hosted by The New York Times, Connections is a free online word game that debuted in the summer of 2023. The goal is to group words that share a common thread. In some ways, it’s kind of like the game show Jeopardy! but in reverse. Rather than being introduced to the categories upfront and then solving for the answer, Connections gives you the answers and then prompts you to uncover the underlying categories.
Let’s say, for instance, that four of the 16 Connections tiles feature the words FLOOR, LEADER, POSTER, and BLACK.
What do all of these words have in common? Well, they could all end with another word — in this case, BOARD: FLOORBOARD, LEADERBOARD, POSTERBOARD, and BLACKBOARD.
When you open a new Connections game, you’ll be presented with 16 word tiles. As soon as you start guessing, you’ll have four chances to group four sets of words. When you’ve successfully matched four standalone words within a category, the category will be revealed and those tiles removed from gameplay. Each category is assigned a color; the yellow category represents the easiest, and purple the hardest.
The trickiest part of Connections is that many words on the gameboard can fit into multiple categories. Prepare to be completely surprised when you find out that you’ve guessed incorrectly.”What?!” and “How?!” are common reactions to incorrect guesses.
Depending on your answers, you’ll either feel the satisfaction of creating a group or the disappointment of being this close to achieving your goal. That’s the beauty of Connections.
Connections Word Game vs. Last Letter First
Now that we’ve shared our Connections game review, it’s time to compare and contrast this game with Last Letter First.
First, we’ll start with the most notable differences between the two games:
- Connections is theme-driven, whereas Last Letter First is letter-driven. In Last Letter First, the last letter of the word your opponent uses must begin the word you submit in response. For example, if an opponent sends you the word delicious, you should respond with, ideally, a high-scoring word beginning with the letter S.
- Unlike Last Letter First, Connections can only be played once per day. A new Connections game gets released at midnight, and once you solve it, you have to wait for the next day’s puzzle to be released.
- Connections is a one-player game, so you can’t invite your friends or family to play with you. You can only share your results. Last Letter First allows up to 10 players in a game.
Now, what are the most significant similarities between Connections word game vs. Last Letter First?
- You can play Connections in the NYT Games app, the NYT app, or on your browser. The same applies to Last Letter First: play it on your browser or download the app from Google Play or the App Store.
- Connections and Last Letter First can be enjoyed ad-free, which lends itself to a distraction-free word game experience.
- You can employ effective strategies to secure a win. When playing Connections, it’s often helpful to deduce which words might belong together. Similarly, with Last Letter First, you can strategize by sending your opponents a word that might give them pause when they receive it.
- These addictive online word games can be played anywhere, anytime.
- Every game you play is different, mentally stimulating, and rewarding.
Put Your Best Foot Word Forward
When it comes to online word games like Connections and Last Letter First, let your intuition guide the way. Are you convinced you have the proper grouping in Connections? Submit and find out! Confident that the next word you play during Last Letter First is going to stump your opponent? Play it! You’ve got nothing to lose. Whether you’re comparing strategies in Connections word game vs Last Letter First or simply exploring both titles through a detailed Connections Game Review, it’s clear that each delivers its own brand of challenge and excitement.
Another alluring aspect of word games is “the big reveal.” It’s the moment Vanna White turns over a letter, the instant your score lights up the leaderboard after a tense round of Last Letter First, or the flip of the final tiles revealing the answers you missed in Connections. The guessing, the revealing, and the sharing are what make word games of every kind such a satisfying way to spend your time.
Thank You for Reading!
Thank you for reading Connections Word Game vs Last Letter First! We hope this Connections Game Review helped you discover what makes each word game unique — from the classic puzzle-solving satisfaction of Connections to the fast-paced, social fun of Last Letter First. Whether you’re a lifelong word-game lover or just looking for your next favorite brain challenge, we’d love to hear which one you’re playing next!
