puzzlerzone12 puzzles like NYT Connections
Ranked by how close they actually are — same mechanic, same shape, similar length. Where they differ, the difference comes from measurements rather than the games’ own descriptions.
Looking for the original? NYT Connections is a 5 min grouping puzzle.
- 1
Bells & Whistles
Fill the grid with bells and whistles, matching the group numbers on the rows and columns.
vs NYT Connections: Lighter on ads
Grouping5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 2
Brainer
A weekday quiz show with creative questions from several categories.
vs NYT Connections: No ads at all
Grouping5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 3
Categories
Group the words in the grid into the 4 secret categories, like Connections or Conexo.
vs NYT Connections: Lighter on ads
Grouping5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 4
Catfishing
Guess the Wikipedia article by its categories. 10 rounds per day.
vs NYT Connections: Lighter on ads
Grouping5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 5
23 Words
Unscramble 23 words, one by one, without running out of time.
vs NYT Connections: Lighter on ads · Word rather than grouping
Word5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 6
3Doku
3D Sudoku on a cube using the numbers 1 to 16.
vs NYT Connections: No ads at all · Logic grid rather than grouping
Logic grid5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 7
Ace Attorneydle
A collection of daily games related to Ace Attorney.
vs NYT Connections: No ads at all · Visual ID rather than grouping
Visual ID5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 8
Actorle
Guess the movie actor based on the given information, with each guess revealing matching information.
vs NYT Connections: Lighter on ads · Visual ID rather than grouping
Visual ID5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 9
Actorle TV
Guess the TV actor based on the given information, with each guess revealing matching information.
vs NYT Connections: Lighter on ads · Visual ID rather than grouping
Visual ID5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 10
Adoptle
Guess the name of a pet that is up for adoption, given a picture of them.
vs NYT Connections: Lighter on ads · Visual ID rather than grouping
Visual ID5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 11
Airport Guessr
Guess the airport given its satellite image.
vs NYT Connections: No ads at all · Visual ID rather than grouping
Visual ID5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026 - 12
AITA Guesser
Guess the verdict of Reddit AITA posts.
vs NYT Connections: No ads at all · Deduction rather than grouping
Deduction5 min✓ 3/5 measured · 12 Aug 2026
How this list is ordered
Not by popularity, and not by anyone paying — nothing on this site can be bought. Each candidate scores on four things: whether it uses the same mechanic, whether it has the same shape (daily, endless, campaign), how close its length is, and whether it costs the same. Entries we have already measured rank above ones still queued, because a recommendation you can check beats one you cannot.
One entry per site, so a publisher with eight games cannot fill the page. How we measure →