Sixteen words, four hidden categories, four mistakes allowed. Some categories are plain topics; others are wordplay, where the connection only appears once you say the words out loud with the same prefix or suffix.
Unlike the daily rotation, Word Groups never locks. Play as many rounds as you want, and the categories get progressively trickier as you move up the levels.
Find the obvious group first, then ignore it
There is almost always one straightforward category on the board — fruit, sports, colours. Locking it early does two useful things: it removes four words from the pool, which makes the remaining connections easier to see, and it eliminates the trap of mistaking a wordplay category for a topic category.
Watch for the decoy
Boards are built so that at least two words could plausibly belong to two different groups. If four words feel right but you cannot name the theme in one phrase, you are probably looking at a decoy. Name the theme before you submit.
Read for compound words
The hardest tier is usually a compound: words that all precede BOARD, or all follow FIRE. When topics run out, start reading each word with a short list of common second halves — board, light, stone, work, room, fall — and see which four snap together.
How Word Groups is scored
score = 300 per group + mistake bonus + time bonus
What it trains
- Verbal Reasoning
- Creative Thinking
Frequently asked questions
How many mistakes can I make?
Four. The fifth wrong submission ends the round.
Is this the same as Connections?
It uses the same beloved public format — sixteen words, four groups — with PlayJoy's own category bank, difficulty tiers and scoring.
Can I play more than one round a day?
Yes. Word Groups is part of the unlimited arcade and never locks.