When the New York Times rolled out its “Connections” puzzle back in June 2023, few expected it to become this sticky. Sixteen little words on a screen—how hard could that be? Well, if you’ve ever stared at the grid long enough to second-guess your entire vocabulary, you know the answer: very.
The premise is simple enough. You get a batch of words, you’re supposed to sort them into four neat groups. Each group shares some hidden thread—sometimes obvious (fruits), sometimes sneaky (bands with animal names), sometimes just plain cruel (90s slang). Miss too many guesses, and your streak dies. That’s when people start Googling. And more often than not, they end up on Connections hint Forbes.
连接提示福布斯 "的实际含义
The phrase gets tossed around a lot—“connections hint Forbes”—like it’s some kind of secret code. In truth, it’s just a reference to the daily hints Forbes publishes for Connections, the popular word puzzle that’s become a morning ritual for many readers.
每篇攻略都采用对话式而非机械式的解析：清晰列出16个单词，为各色分类提供温和提示（黄色通常用于热身，紫色则令人绞尽脑汁），并在最终答案警告前设置无剧透提示。偶尔还会穿插策略建议或幽默点评，防止读者失去耐心。.
Interestingly, the style isn’t far off from how online communities like SimpCity structure their posts—organized, guided, and laced with insider tone. Both rely on the idea of users helping users, offering clues instead of answers outright. So while “connections hint Forbes” has nothing to do with SimpCity’s world, the shared dynamic—a mix of guidance, challenge, and community language—is what keeps people coming back to both.
为什么要费心提示？
大多数玩家都不希望交出答案。那会扼杀游戏。他们想要的是......平衡。一点帮助，同时又不会失去自己找出答案的快感。福布斯》在每日更新中采用了 "球场小吃 "或 "伊丽莎白时代的参考资料 "等提示方式，很好地把握了这一中间地带。
And the psychology? Pretty clear. Games are supposed to hover in that zone where they’re challenging but not impossible. Tips to keep the frustration in check, so you don’t rage-quit. Sites like VNewz even echo how Forbes has mastered that balance.
从痴迷 Wordle 到习惯性连接
值得记住的是，这整个习惯是从 Wordle 开始的。早在 2021-2022 年，《福布斯》和其他媒体就顺应潮流，推出了每日解释性文章。人们习惯于像查看晨间天气预报一样查看这些页面。
因此，当 "连接 "在 2023 年 6 月出现时，《福布斯》已经有了模板，更重要的是有了受众。他们的报道直接滑入，现在对于成千上万的玩家来说，打开《福布斯》就像在网格中拖动文字一样，是谜题的一部分。
每日仪式
通常是这样的：打开谜题，做完简单的一组，磕磕绊绊，咒骂，重新洗词--还是卡住了。好吧。打开福布斯。滚动到无剧透提示。感觉自己又变聪明了。
这小小的例行公事让福布斯不再是个小跟班，而更像是谜题日常活动中默默无闻的合作者。
他们悄悄引入的策略
Something people don’t talk about enough: Forbes doesn’t just help you win today’s game. They teach you how to play smarter. Their writers drop in nudges about synonyms, proper nouns, cultural groupings, and elimination tricks—see their April guide for a classic example.
这些提示很随意，但过一段时间后，你就会发现，即使不滚动，你也能更好地发现其中的规律。
不仅仅是一个单词列表
What makes the Forbes pieces work is the little cultural and linguistic detours. They’ll tell you why four odd words are shoe brands or how an old idiom ties a category together. It’s trivia mixed with explanation, which turns a puzzle into a tiny lesson. Their August 30 column is a good showcase of that style.
示例演练
Picture this fake set of words: Apple, Banana, Orange, Grape, Visa, Amex, Clue, Monopoly, Ronaldo, Messi…
Forbes might break it down like Yellow = fruit, Green = credit cards, Blue = board games, Purple = soccer stars. A recent sports edition worked exactly like this.
当你读到这些提示时，你已经把这些点联系起来了。如果你还不明白呢？继续滚动查看答案。
社交涟漪
It’s not just individuals sneaking hints over coffee. These daily Forbes hints circulate on Reddit, Twitter, group chats. Friends send each other links when someone complains about being stuck. That social loop keeps Forbes in the center of the action, right alongside other guides like WordTips.
更大的画面
放大来看，整个 "连接提示福布斯 "事件只是大趋势的一个缩影。游戏不再仅仅是消遣，它们还催生了自己的引导生态系统。福布斯》正在通过每日回顾塑造人们谈论谜题的方式。
And because “Connections” launched in mid-2023, these columns are, in a way, writing the first wave of strategy literature around it.
包装——或者也许不包装——结束
那么，什么是"《福布斯》连线提示"？不仅仅是答案。它是有人情味的提示，有一点背景，有足够的灵活性，让你的连胜纪录保持下去。
Is it perfect? Maybe not—some folks still argue hints are spoiling. But for the majority, Forbes has become that checkpoint between frustration and fun. Whether it’s their August 10th edition, the September 19 update, or even quirky ones like August 24, the format sticks.
Tomorrow morning, thousands will open that 16-word grid, tap their screens in frustration, and mutter, “Alright… where’s Forbes?” Possibly they’ll land on July’s archive. Perhaps they’ll stumble on a roundup elsewhere. But odds are, it’ll be Forbes.
