What is Word Groups?
Word Groups is a reasoning puzzle about meaning, language and association. Every board contains sixteen words that can be divided into four intended groups of four. A connection might be a straightforward category, a phrase completed by the same word, a shared property or a carefully signalled piece of wordplay.
How to play
Select four words that you believe belong together, then submit the group. A correct set leaves the board and reveals its category label. An incorrect set uses one of four available mistakes. You can shuffle the remaining words to break visual patterns, deselect everything, or request a hint. The puzzle is complete when all four groups are solved.
Beginner boards favour distinct familiar categories. Intermediate introduces tempting overlaps, while Advanced uses layered meanings and wordplay. Every puzzle still has an editorially intended four-by-four solution. The game records elapsed time, mistakes and hints, but there is no countdown; thoughtful solving is encouraged.
Strategy for finding connections
Start with the most specific four-word set rather than the broadest theme. If six words could all be “things outdoors,” look for a narrower relationship that uses exactly four. Watch for words that can precede or follow a shared term, and remember that a word may be placed as a decoy for another group. After finding a group, reconsider the remaining vocabulary from scratch instead of forcing your first theory.
Shuffling changes only presentation, not the answer. Hints are useful when two plausible categories compete, but hint use is included in results. Personal bests and daily participation streaks stay on this device.
Selection, accessibility and records
Each word is a button with an announced pressed state, so a selected set can be understood without relying on background colour. Deselect All safely clears a theory, and Shuffle changes only the visual order of unsolved words. Correct categories remain visible with their labels and members, helping players understand the intended connection rather than receiving only a pass/fail signal.
Completion or failure moves focus to the result summary. Local records distinguish difficulty and include score, time, mistakes and hints, while the daily participation streak advances at most once on a UTC date. Share and Games Hub actions remain available at the natural end of a puzzle. There is no remote ranking or account submission behind the coming-soon interface.
Frequently asked questions
How many groups are in each puzzle?
There are four groups of four words, making sixteen words in total.
How many mistakes can I make?
You can submit four incorrect groups before the round ends.
What does a hint do?
It provides useful information about an unsolved group and is counted in your result.
Related word tools and games
Enjoy finding hidden connections? Try Word Ladder for step-by-step word changes, or use Word Lists to explore vocabulary by length and pattern.