States Connections drops 16 US states into a 4x4 grid. Your job: sort them into 4 groups of 4 by some shared attribute. Sounds simple — except every puzzle is designed with overlap. Many states fit multiple categories. The skill isn't knowing facts; it's knowing which category to lock in first. This guide breaks down the grouping themes, the trap categories, and the order to play.
How the puzzle is built
Each puzzle has four categories ranked by difficulty (yellow → green → blue → purple, NYT-style). Yellow is the most obvious, purple is the trickiest wordplay or oblique link. The puzzle designer picks 16 states where:
- Each category has exactly 4 valid states.
- At least 2 states fit a second category (the overlap trap).
- The purple category often involves wordplay (states starting with the same letter, states with 4-letter names, states that contain a body part name like Arkansas's "ark", etc.).
Knowing this structure changes how you play: never commit on a category if any of its 4 states is more strongly tied to another category.
The 8 most common grouping themes
| Theme | Example states |
|---|---|
| Census regions | Northeast (ME, VT, NH, MA), Midwest (OH, IN, IL, MI), South (TX, FL, GA, LA), West (CA, OR, WA, AZ) |
| 13 original colonies | MA, VA, NY, PA, NJ, CT, MD, NC, SC, GA, NH, DE, RI |
| No income tax states | FL, TX, NV, WA, SD, WY, AK, TN, NH (NH has narrow tax) |
| Swing states | Recent: PA, MI, WI, AZ, GA, NV, NC |
| Landlocked states | NE, KS, OK, IA, MO, IL, KY, TN, WV, NV, UT, CO, WY, MT, ID, ND, SD, AR, NM, AZ |
| Border Mexico | CA, AZ, NM, TX |
| Border Canada | WA, ID, MT, ND, MN, MI, OH, PA, NY, VT, NH, ME, AK |
| Confederate states (Civil War) | SC, MS, FL, AL, GA, LA, TX, VA, AR, NC, TN |
The "purple" wordplay categories
The hardest category usually involves wordplay or hidden patterns. Watch for these:
- 4-letter state names: Iowa, Ohio, Utah (only 3 — not a Connections set unless mixed with shape).
- States containing a body part: Arkansas (ARK), Kansas (no), Oregon (no)... actually the hidden words category usually picks names like Maine (MAIN), Oregon (OR), Idaho (DAH? — usually wordplay is looser).
- States starting with M: Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana (8 — too many for a single category, so puzzles usually pick 4 of them with a sub-theme).
- States named after British royals: Virginia (Virgin Queen Elizabeth I), Maryland (Queen Henrietta Maria), Georgia (King George II), Carolina (King Charles I).
- States with "New" in the name: New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York — exactly 4.
- States named after Native American words: Many states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Mississippi, etc.) — puzzles usually pick a tight subset.
Trap categories and how to spot them
Trap #1: Bible Belt vs Confederate
The Bible Belt and the Confederate states overlap heavily. If you see Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, your gut says "Bible Belt" — but the puzzle might want "Confederate states". Check the other 12 states for tells: if you see Virginia and South Carolina, it's more likely Confederate (they were the 1st and 11th to secede).
Trap #2: Pacific vs West Coast
"Pacific states" (CA, OR, WA, plus AK and HI) and "West Coast states" (CA, OR, WA) are different. If you see Alaska and Hawaii in the grid, that's a clue for Pacific.
Trap #3: New England vs Northeast
New England = 6 states (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT). Northeast = 9 states (New England + NY, NJ, PA). If you see New York or New Jersey alongside Massachusetts and Connecticut, it's "Northeast", not "New England".
Trap #4: Rust Belt vs Midwest
Rust Belt is a cultural region (PA, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, parts of NY). Midwest is the census region (12 states). Connections puzzles love this because PA is Northeast (census) but Rust Belt (culture). If you see Pennsylvania grouped with Ohio and Michigan, think Rust Belt, not Midwest.
The optimal play order
- Scan for the unambiguous category. Look for an outlier set: Hawaii + Alaska + Texas + California = largest by area. Lock it in.
- Find the wordplay (purple) category. If you see 4 states starting with "New" or 4 with very short names, those are usually locked groups.
- Save the two ambiguous categories for last. If you have 8 states left and 2 categories, you've removed 8 distractors and the answers usually clarify themselves.
- If you're stuck, don't guess. Most versions give you 4 strikes max. A wasted guess on an ambiguous category leaves you no margin.
Quick reference: tight 4-state groupings
These groupings have exactly 4 states, making them prime puzzle answers:
- States bordering Mexico: CA, AZ, NM, TX
- States starting with "New": NH, NJ, NM, NY
- States starting with "North" or "South": NC, ND, SC, SD
- States with 4-letter names: Iowa, Ohio, Utah... only 3, so puzzles often add a wildcard.
- Four Corners states: AZ, CO, NM, UT
- Pacific states (non-contiguous): AK, CA, HI, OR, WA — too many; usually narrowed to AK + HI + WA + OR.
- Mid-Atlantic: NJ, NY, PA, DE (sometimes MD)
New puzzle every day
States Connections rotates fresh 16-state grids. The categories change daily — your pattern recognition gets faster every round.
Play States Connections →Frequently asked questions
Is States Connections related to the NYT Connections game?
No — States Connections uses the same grid format that the New York Times Connections popularized (16 items, 4 groups of 4), but it's an independent game focused entirely on US state attributes.
How many strikes do you get?
Most versions give you 4 wrong guesses before the puzzle ends. Some daily-puzzle variants only give 3. Always check the rules on the first round.
What's the trickiest category type?
Wordplay categories where the connecting word is hidden inside the state name (e.g., "states containing a tool" or "states containing a body part"). They look random until you see the pattern, then they're obvious.
Should I solve from easiest to hardest?
Yes — but more importantly, solve the most unambiguous category first, regardless of difficulty color. Locking in an unambiguous category removes 4 distractors from every other group.
Related guides
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