Clusters is a free daily word grouping puzzle where you sort 16 words into 4 hidden categories. Each group of 4 words shares a hidden connection — but the challenge is that many words seem to fit multiple groups. Four color-coded difficulty levels (yellow is easiest, purple is hardest) guide you through the puzzle. You have 4 chances to make mistakes before the game ends. If you love NYT Connections, you'll feel right at home with Clusters. It delivers the same daily grouping puzzle experience that made Connections a hit — the satisfying "aha" moment when you spot a tricky pattern — but without a paywall or subscription. Clusters is completely free, requires no account, tracks zero data, and works offline. Unlike the official Connections game which now requires a New York Times subscription, Clusters offers unlimited free play every day. Clusters is part of PuzzleBoxs, a collection of 10 free daily puzzle games. A fresh set of 16 words is waiting for you every day. Challenge yourself, compete with friends, and share your results as a colorful emoji grid.
How to play Clusters: You'll see 16 words arranged in a 4x4 grid. Your goal is to find 4 groups of 4 words that share something in common — a theme, category, or hidden connection. Tap or click up to 4 words to select them, then press Submit to check if they form a valid group. A correct guess locks that group into a colored row at the top: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (hardest). A wrong guess costs you a mistake — you get 4 before the game ends. If your selection is exactly one word away from a valid group, you'll see a "One Away!" hint. Use the Shuffle button to rearrange the cards if you need a fresh perspective, or Deselect All to clear your selection. Share your daily result as a colorful grid of emoji squares.
Start by identifying the most obvious group first — usually yellow — to remove four words from the board and make the remaining 12 easier to scan. Always look for red herrings: puzzle designers deliberately include words that could fit two or three different groups. If a word seems too easy, it might be a trap. When you think you've found a group but aren't 100% sure, use process of elimination — identify the three groups you're most confident about, and the fourth fills itself in. Pay attention to the "One Away!" hint: it confirms you're on the right track with three of the four words, so try swapping the outlier rather than starting over completely.
Clusters vs NYT Connections: Both are daily word grouping puzzles where you sort 16 words into 4 color-coded categories. The key differences: Clusters is completely free with no paywall, requires no account or login, collects zero user data, and works offline as a PWA. The New York Times Connections game requires a paid NYT Games subscription for full access. Clusters is an independent game inspired by the word grouping genre, not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times. Our puzzle library is crafted with the same spirit of tricky-but-fair category design that makes grouping puzzles so satisfying.
Why play Clusters? You get the daily word grouping challenge you crave — completely free, forever. No ads pop up to distract you. No trackers follow you around the web. No email or account is required. Install Clusters as a Progressive Web App and enjoy it offline on the subway, a plane, or anywhere without Wi-Fi. The difficulty system (yellow to purple) ensures every puzzle has layers — easy wins for beginners, brain-bending traps for veterans. Your progress is saved privately on your own device.
Clusters is inspired by NYT Connections and the word grouping puzzle genre, but it is a completely independent game. Unlike Connections (which requires a New York Times subscription), Clusters is 100% free, requires no account, does not collect any user data, and works offline. Clusters is not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times.
You will see 16 words in a 4x4 grid. Find 4 groups of 4 words that share a common theme or category. Select 4 words and press Submit. Correct groups fly to the top with their color. Incorrect guesses cost a mistake — you get 4 before the game ends. Watch for the "One Away!" hint when you are close. Yellow is easiest, purple is hardest.
The four colors represent difficulty levels. Yellow is the easiest category with a more obvious connection. Green is medium difficulty. Blue is harder with a more abstract or tricky theme. Purple is the hardest — these categories often contain misleading words. Solve yellow and green first to narrow down the remaining words for blue and purple.
Yes — Clusters is completely free with no subscription, no paywall, and no ads. We will never charge for Clusters.
No. Clusters runs entirely in your browser with no server communication. We do not use cookies, analytics, or any tracking scripts. Your game progress and statistics are stored locally on your device using localStorage — they never leave your device.
Yes! Install Clusters as a Progressive Web App (PWA) by tapping "Add to Home Screen" in your browser menu. Once installed, the game works without an internet connection — great for commutes, flights, or anywhere without Wi-Fi.
When you submit 4 words where exactly 3 belong to the same group but the 4th is wrong, Clusters shows a "One Away!" notification. This means you are very close to solving that group. Try swapping the odd one out for another word and resubmit.
After completing the puzzle, tap the Share button to copy a colorful emoji grid to your clipboard. Each row represents one of your guesses — yellow, green, blue, and purple squares show which groups your words belonged to. Paste it into any chat or social media to compare results with friends.