Resources: NYT Features about New York Times Games

Gathered here are selected news articles, features, interviews, news releases, podcasts, selected social media posts, and other material produced by the New York Times to share or announce information about the NYT Games suite. Some of the items listed here may also be included in other portions of this LexiConnexxions feature. Items are listed in chronological order, with the newest given first.

Why You Sometimes See Naughty Words in NYT GamesNew York Times, August 5, 2026https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/insider/games-language-wordle-crossplay-spelling-bee.htmlPuzzle editors choose solutions based on curated references and human judgment. But there’s more freedom in the guesses players can make. Gamify your gameplay with Badges from New York Times Games: Celebrate your achievements in Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections.New York Times News Release, October 24, 2025https://www.nytco.com/press/gamify-your-gameplay-with-badges-from-new-york-times-games/New York Times Games players can now earn badges playing Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections, giving them new ways to celebrate their achievements, reflect on their progress, and help them discover different ways to play.
The Pyrotechnics of Puzzles: How NYT Games are made.New York Times ‘The Daily,’ October 11, 2025https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/podcasts/the-daily/nyt-games-connections-crossword.htmlIn a special, subscriber-only episode of “The Daily,” a team of editors from The New York Times’s Games department takes us behind the scenes. Wyna Liu, Joel Fagliano and Sam Ezersky discuss what goes into making games such as the Mini Crossword, Connections, the Spelling Bee and more. Guests: Wyna Liu, who writes the daily Connections puzzle and is an editor of the New York Times Crossword; Joel Fagliano, who created the Mini, and Sam Ezersky, who edits the Spelling Bee and Letterboxed.Unedited transcript: https://podcasts.happyscribe.com/the-daily/the-pyrotechnics-of-puzzles-how-nyt-games-are-made“How do you create the spelling bee for the day?” begins at 18:26.
New York Times Games Launches Multi-Game Leaderboard, Letting Solvers Celebrate Daily Wins: Track the scores of your fellow puzzle people across even more games, all in one place.New York Times News Release, May 01, 2025https://www.nytco.com/press/nyt-games-launches-multi-game-leaderboard/Whether you’re a first-time puzzler or a seasoned solver, you can now showcase your daily triumphs and fuel your friendly rivalries across Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee and the Mini Crossword — in a brand-new leaderboard.
Why do we have human games editors? [Spelling Bee Editor Sam Ezersky explains.]New York Times Instagram, September 03, 2024https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_dZxiaR_de/
Putting New York Times Games to the Test: Meet some of the people who play each game and solve each puzzle before subscribers see them.New York Times, May 20 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/20/crosswords/nyt-games-puzzles-testing.html
Think Critically, Build Community: 7 New York Times Games to Play in the Classroom.New York Times, April 25, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/learning/think-critically-build-community-7-new-york-times-games-to-play-in-the-classroom.htmlWordle? Spelling Bee? Flashback? Connections? Teachers across subject areas and levels say Times games have become part of their routines.
The New York Times Games App Unveils Fresh Redesign.New York Times News Release, March 07, 2024https://www.nytco.com/press/the-new-york-times-games-app-unveils-fresh-redesign/The New York Times today unveiled a redesign of its popular NYT Games app, marking the most significant design refresh since the app debuted in 2009. In 2023, our games were played more than eight billion times including The Mini Crossword, which was played more than one billion times. Wordle was played 4.8 billion times, Spelling Bee users reached Genius more than 120 million times and 2.3 billion successful Connections were made.
How to Change Up Your Gameplay With New Twists: If playing the same way every day doesn’t suit you, try these tips to keep things interesting. [INCLUDES A SECTION ON SPELLING BEE]New York Times, March 08, 2023https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/crosswords/refreshing-gameplay.html
New York Times Games Invites Spelling Bee Players to Game for Good.New York Times News Release, September 08, 2022https://www.nytco.com/press/new-york-times-games-invites-spelling-bee-players-to-game-for-good/ Includes this: “millions of people … play Spelling Bee every day”
What Makes a Word ‘Proper English'?New York Times, November 16, 2021https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/crosswords/internet-slang-crossword-fill.html The internet and social media have sped up the ways slang terms are popularized among mainstream audiences.“When does an internet word enter the realm of puzzles? Whenever we play a word-based game like the crossword puzzle or Spelling Bee, there’s always an assumption underlying our participation in each game — that we all agree on a lexicon of words that are acceptable in the universe of these games. In The New York Times, this is determined by the puzzle makers themselves. For a puzzle constructor, deciding on a shared vocabulary requires careful balancing.”
60 Seconds with Sam Ezersky: A chat with one of the New York Times Crossword constructors. [about crosswords, not SB]New York Times, October 22, 2018https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/crosswords/who-made-my-puzzle.html“For some of us who proudly identify as word nerds, the preferred pastime has been a clever and challenging puzzle that can be enjoyed either in solitude or on social media: the New York Times Spelling Bee.” [The article contains a few errors but remains a pleasant read.]
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CAVEAT LECTOR: All the resources in this guide have been reviewed for reasonable quality. Some of the citations in this listing include content notes and/or gentle caveats from LexiConnexxions, usually in [square brackets]. Content at external links may change or disappear, or the links themselves may die or disappear. The existence, content, safety, and security of third-party sites is beyond our control.
ESSENTIAL NYT GAMES RESOURCES
NYT Games https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords NYT Help page for all games:https://help.nytimes.com/360011158491-New-York-Times-Games
New York Times Games Team Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/nytgames
New York Times Games Team Threadshttps://www.threads.net/@nytgames New York Times YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/nytgames NYT Gameplay NewsletterPuzzles, brain teasers, solving tips and more from the New York Times Games team.https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/gameplay
LexiConnexxions New York Times Spelling Bee answers analysis statistics peregrine
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