How is this different from NYT Connections?

Same format — sixteen tiles, four hidden groups of four, four mistakes allowed — but every tile is a country and every category is geographic or a country-name pattern. A new grid goes live daily at 00:00 UTC.

What kinds of categories appear?

Continents, official languages, landlocked or island status, driving side, the euro, countries that share a border with a particular neighbour, first letters, and name patterns like ending in “-stan” or “-land”, or sharing a first letter with the capital.

Is there always exactly one solution?

Yes. The board is built so every country satisfies exactly one of the four categories — any country that would fit two of them is left off the grid entirely, so there is never an ambiguous tile.

How many guesses do I get?

As many as you like, but only four mistakes. Each wrong group of four uses one mistake; find all four correct groups before you run out.

Can I replay or play past grids?

It's one grid per day by design, so the shared result means something. For endless country-grouping practice, try Odd One Out, which gives you a fresh set every round.

Yes — no account, no app, no limit beyond the one daily grid. Your streak and stats live only in your browser.

Country Connections — Daily Grouping Game

Country Connections — group sixteen countries into four hidden sets

Country Connections is a daily grouping puzzle inspired by NYT Connections, played entirely with countries. You get a four-by-four grid of sixteen nations, and four hidden categories that each cover exactly four of them: a continent, an official language, countries that border the same neighbour, a name that ends in “-stan”, and so on. Pick four tiles you think belong together and submit. Four wrong guesses and the game is over. The grid is the same for everyone on a given day, and the finish screen gives you a spoiler-free block of coloured squares to share.

How to play

Tap four country tiles that you think share a hidden link, then press Submit. A correct set locks in as a coloured row — yellow is the most straightforward group, purple the trickiest. A wrong set costs one of your four mistakes, and if you were one tile away you'll be told. Use Shuffle to rearrange the grid and Deselect All to start a selection over. Solve all four groups before your mistakes run out. Each country belongs to exactly one group, so there is always a single clean solution — the challenge is seeing past the decoys.

What this game improves

Connects facts you already know — borders, languages, regions — into patterns
Rewards careful elimination over guessing, like a good logic puzzle
Surfaces links between countries you'd never think to compare
A single quick daily grid, easy to compare with friends

Tips

Start from the group you're surest of, but don't submit until you've ruled out overlaps
Watch for decoys: a Spanish-speaking country that's also in South America can only be in one group
Purple is usually wordplay — a suffix, a shared initial, a hidden pattern in the name
If you're stuck, solve the other three groups and the last four sort themselves

Skills you practice

categorisation · logical elimination · country knowledge · pattern spotting

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from NYT Connections?: Same format — sixteen tiles, four hidden groups of four, four mistakes allowed — but every tile is a country and every category is geographic or a country-name pattern. A new grid goes live daily at 00:00 UTC.
What kinds of categories appear?: Continents, official languages, landlocked or island status, driving side, the euro, countries that share a border with a particular neighbour, first letters, and name patterns like ending in “-stan” or “-land”, or sharing a first letter with the capital.
Is there always exactly one solution?: Yes. The board is built so every country satisfies exactly one of the four categories — any country that would fit two of them is left off the grid entirely, so there is never an ambiguous tile.
How many guesses do I get?: As many as you like, but only four mistakes. Each wrong group of four uses one mistake; find all four correct groups before you run out.
Can I replay or play past grids?: It's one grid per day by design, so the shared result means something. For endless country-grouping practice, try Odd One Out, which gives you a fresh set every round.
Is it free?: Yes — no account, no app, no limit beyond the one daily grid. Your streak and stats live only in your browser.

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