How to Play Common Threads

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How to Play Common Threads

The goal

Sixteen words hide four groups of four that share a common thread — a category, a phrase they complete, or a sneaky bit of wordplay. Find all four groups before making five mistakes.

Playing

  • Tap four tiles, then hit Submit.
  • Right: the group locks in with its thread revealed. Wrong: a mistake dot fills in.
  • “One away!” means exactly three of your four belong together.
  • Resubmitting a combination you already tried costs nothing.
  • Shuffle rearranges the tiles — a new view often breaks a mental rut.

Difficulty colors

  • Teal — easiest, a plain category.
  • Orange — a step trickier.
  • Crimson — associations and phrases.
  • Charcoal — hardest, usually wordplay.

Red herrings

Every puzzle plants at least one word that looks like it belongs to another group. If a group feels too easy, ask yourself which of its candidates the trickier threads might claim.

Finishing

The timer stops when the last group locks in. Run out of tries and the answers are revealed — a fresh puzzle arrives every morning, and past days are in the archive.