Categlorious

Categlorious puts a twist on the group-the-words format. Instead of four groups of four, there are four categories of exactly three words, and one word is shared by every category. That link word sits in all four groups, so the board is only nine tiles: eight ordinary words and the one connector. On 22 October 2026 the tiles were CALL, RUSH, DIAL, CLUCK, CREW, MEOW, KICK, BOWL and BUZZ, and BUZZ joined haircuts, ways to contact someone by phone, animal sounds and a thrill.

You select three words and submit. A correct category is coloured and named in a bar under the board, and the link word moves to the centre and takes on the colours of every category you have found so far. Four wrong guesses end the game. A timer runs at the top, and a streak counts the days you play, win or lose.

Scoring adds a layer on top. Solving all four categories earns points, and badges add more: Flawless victory for no mistakes, Eagle eye for making the link word your first tap, A glorious start for beginning every guess with it, and bonuses for solving the hardest category first or going from hardest to easiest. Each mistake costs points, and leaving the link word for last in every guess costs a lot.

A new board is printed at midnight US Eastern. Today's puzzle needs no account; a free account plays the last seven days of the archive, and Greatest Games Plus opens every past board and removes the ads. The puzzle is one of many daily word and logic games on Greatest Games.

Categlorious suits Connections players who want a quicker board with an extra deduction at its centre.