You're stuck. It’s okay to admit it. You’ve been staring at those sixteen tiles for twenty minutes, and suddenly the English language feels like a foreign dialect. Connect Words Level 36 is widely regarded by the community as one of the first "brick wall" moments in the game. It’s the point where the developers stop holding your hand and start throwing red herrings at you like they’re going out of style.
Most mobile word games follow a predictable curve. You get some easy wins, you feel like a genius, and then—bam. Level 36 hits.
The trick with Connect Words, specifically this level, isn't just knowing the words. It's about unlearning the obvious patterns. Your brain wants to find the easiest connection first, but in this specific layout, the easiest connection is almost always a trap designed to leave you with four leftover words that make zero sense together.
The Anatomy of the Level 36 Sticking Point
Why this level? Why now?
Usually, by the time you hit the mid-30s in these types of logic puzzles, the game introduces "overlapping categories." This is a sophisticated psychological trick where one word fits perfectly into two different groups. If you commit that word to Category A, you’ve effectively broken Category B, and you won't realize it until you're at the very end.
In Level 36, you’re likely looking at a mix of nouns that relate to common household objects and abstract concepts that feel... slippery. It’s not just about "things in a kitchen." It might be "things that have a lid," which could include a pot, a jar, a trash can, and—wait for it—your eye. If you don't see that metaphorical jump, you’re toast.
Kinda frustrating, right?
The community over at Reddit’s r/wordgames and various Discord servers for puzzle enthusiasts often cite this level as the "great filter." It separates the casual swipers from the people who actually enjoy the linguistic gymnastics.
Breaking Down the Categories (Without Spoiling the Fun)
When you’re looking at the grid for Connect Words Level 36, you need to categorize by "function" rather than "definition."
Look at the words. Are they all the same length? Probably not. Do they all start with the same letter? Unlikely. Instead, look for the verb potential. Sometimes a word looks like a noun (like "Ship") but it’s actually a verb ("to ship something"). In this level, the developers love to hide verbs inside a sea of nouns.
- The Trap Category: Usually involves colors or very basic shapes. If you see four colors, be wary. One of those colors is probably part of a different group, like "Fruit names" (Orange) or "Brands" (Apple).
- The Abstract Link: Look for words that describe "Nothingness" or "Parts of a whole." Level 36 often uses components of a machine or a car that aren't immediately obvious.
- The Homophone Headache: Are there words that sound like other words? Read them out loud. Seriously. Sometimes the connection is phonetic, though that's rarer in the early levels.
Why We Get Addicted to This Frustration
There is a genuine neurochemical reason why you’re searching for tips on Level 36 instead of just closing the app and doing your laundry. It’s called the Zeigarnik Effect. Our brains hate unfinished tasks. That unsolved grid is like an itch in your prefrontal cortex that you can’t scratch until those tiles disappear into their neat little colored rows.
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Expert puzzle designers, like those behind The New York Times Connections or the Connect Words app, understand this. They build levels that are just hard enough to make you feel "clueless but capable."
If it were impossible, you’d quit. If it were easy, you’d be bored. Level 36 sits right in that "Goldilocks zone" of irritation.
How to Beat Any Level When You’re Stuck
Honestly, the best piece of advice I can give you after years of playing these things? Walk away. When you stare at the same sixteen words for too long, your brain undergoes something called "functional fixedness." You see a "Table" and you can only think of it as a piece of furniture. You forget it can also be a chart in a book or a verb meaning to postpone a discussion.
When you come back after a cup of coffee or a walk, your brain resets. You’ll see the "Table" next to the word "Motion" and suddenly realize they both belong to a "Parliamentary Terms" category you completely missed before.
- Screenshot the grid.
- Draw lines between potential groups.
- Identify the "Floaters." (These are the words that don't seem to fit anywhere. Usually, if you find the group for the floaters first, the rest of the puzzle collapses into place.)
The "One-Word" Technique
If you're still banging your head against the wall on Level 36, try the One-Word Technique. Pick the most difficult, obscure word on the board. Don't look at the others yet. Just focus on that one word. List every single thing it could possibly be associated with.
If the word is "Mercury," don't just think "Planet." Think:
- NASA missions
- Liquid metal
- Roman gods
- Freddie Mercury (Music)
- Thermometers
By expanding your definition of a single word, you open up the pathways to the other three words in its group. In Level 36, there is almost always one word that acts as the "anchor." Once you hook it, the ship comes in.
Common Misconceptions About Word Connect Games
People think these games are about vocabulary. They aren't. Not really.
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If you have a decent high-school-level vocabulary, you know all the words in Level 36. The challenge isn't literacy; it's classification. It's about how you organize the world in your head. Is a "Bat" an animal or sports equipment? In the world of Connect Words, it’s whatever the puzzle designer decided it was five months ago while they were sitting in a coffee shop.
You have to think like the designer. You have to ask, "If I wanted to trick someone into thinking these words went together, how would I do it?"
Moving Past the Level 36 Hump
Once you clear this level—and you will—the game actually gets a bit easier for a while. The developers usually give you a "breather" level or two after a particularly nasty one.
The skills you learn on Level 36, like identifying red herrings and looking for secondary definitions, are the core mechanics you'll use for the rest of the game. It’s basically the tutorial ending and the real game beginning.
Actionable Steps to Clear the Grid
If you are looking at the screen right now and still can't see the patterns, do this:
- Ignore the colors. Some versions of these games use colored tiles that have nothing to do with the actual groups. They are purely aesthetic and designed to distract you.
- Say the words in a different accent. Sounds crazy, but it forces your brain to process the phonetic sound differently, which can trigger new associations.
- Check for Compound Words. See if two words on the board can be combined with a third word that isn't there. For example, "Fire" and "Work" (Firework). If you see "Fire" and "Water" and "Earth," you might be looking at "Elements."
- Use the Shuffle Button. Most apps have a shuffle feature. Use it constantly. Changing the spatial orientation of the words can break the "functional fixedness" we talked about earlier. Sometimes seeing "Bark" next to "Tree" instead of "Dog" is all the hint you need.
Level 36 isn't a test of your intelligence. It’s a test of your flexibility. Don't let a bunch of digital tiles ruin your afternoon. Take a breath, look for the verbs, and remember that sometimes a "crane" is a bird, and sometimes it's just a way to lift heavy stuff.
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Go back in there and clear that board. You've got this.
Next Steps for Mastery:
Once you've cleared the level, take a second to look at the groups you finally formed. Identify which one was the "distractor" group that kept you stuck. Usually, it's the group that felt the most obvious at the start. Recognizing this pattern—the "too good to be true" group—is how you'll breeze through the levels in the 40s and 50s without needing to look up a guide.