I never thought I would get hooked on word games until I discovered the New York Times games. Now, I find myself looking forward to playing them every day.

Starting with Wordle and Connections

Wordle started me on this path – it’s a simple game where you have to guess a 5-letter word in 6 tries using color clues. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I solve it in as few guesses as possible.

Connections is a set of 16 words in which the user has to determine what connects them. This one can be extremely simple some days, and others make me want to throw my device across the room. It can be frustrating because they will purposely put six words that have a connection, but two are not in their connection. My stubbornness often loses to the puzzle makers when they do this.

Working My Way Up to the NYT Crossword

The classic NYT Crossword starts with an easy puzzle on Monday and gradually gets harder until Saturday. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I finally complete a puzzle. Now, I haven’t done crossword puzzles in forever, so right now, I still do it in cheat mode. Yes, I do have the Autocheck on. I need to be more confident to do Monday’s puzzle without it. The goal is to get there, though!

For a quicker challenge that I don’t “cheat” on, I do the Crossword Mini. This is usually a 5×5 or 7×7 crossword puzzle. I complete it as quickly as possible. I even sit up straight and only try to accomplish it without distractions.

Spelling Bee is My Favorite NYT Word Game

Spelling Bee is my favorite. It challenges me to create long and unusual words using seven random letters. The catch is that you must use the center letter in every word. Right now, I can usually get to the ranking of Nice or Great without any clues. Thankfully, to the community that follows the game, I can generally get to Amazing or even Genius with the hints they provide.

It’s incredible how these games keep my often 1000-miles-a-minute brain occupied. Spelling Bee, to be played to completion, needs a subscription, which is roughly $5 a month. Of course, I got the subscription.

I only sometimes complete all the puzzles daily, but I can’t resist the urge to return. These games have become a daily ritual that I genuinely enjoy. They pass the time and give me a sense of achievement.

I never considered myself a word nerd, but these games have made me realize I enjoy a good mental challenge. If you’re looking for a fun and addictive way to engage your mind and sharpen your skills, I highly recommend trying these games.

This isn’t an ad, but I’ll gladly save the money if the NYT wants to comp my subscription for a month or two.

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