The November 16, 2025, NYT Connections puzzle is game #889. Its four groups are TECHNIQUE, RUN-OF-THE-MILL, STRIPY THINGS and WORDS ON MONOPOLY SQUARES. The complete answer key and how the groups fit together are below.
Connections #889 answers for November 16, 2025
Each group contains four words. The answer sets, reported by TechRadar and independently corroborated by Forbes, are:
- Yellow — TECHNIQUE: APPROACH, METHOD, PHILOSOPHY, SCHOOL
- Green — RUN-OF-THE-MILL: BANAL, EVERYDAY, HUMDRUM, PEDESTRIAN
- Blue — STRIPY THINGS: BARCODE, IBM LOGO, RUGBY SHIRT, ZEBRA
- Purple — WORDS ON MONOPOLY SQUARES: AVENUE, PARKING, RAILROAD, TAX
Why the words belong together
TECHNIQUE
APPROACH, METHOD, PHILOSOPHY and SCHOOL can each refer to a way of thinking or doing something. A school of thought and a philosophy are closely related; an approach or method describes a way to examine or tackle an idea.
RUN-OF-THE-MILL
BANAL, EVERYDAY, HUMDRUM and PEDESTRIAN describe something ordinary or unremarkable. Here, PEDESTRIAN is used figuratively, not to mean a person walking.
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STRIPY THINGS
A BARCODE, the IBM LOGO, a RUGBY SHIRT and a ZEBRA share a striped visual pattern. The group connects them by appearance rather than by what they do.
WORDS ON MONOPOLY SQUARES
AVENUE, PARKING, RAILROAD and TAX appear in names of Monopoly squares. For example, the board includes avenues and railroads, as well as Free Parking and tax spaces.
The road-related red herring
PEDESTRIAN, AVENUE, PARKING and RAILROAD may initially suggest roads or driving. That association does not hold for all four in the same way: PEDESTRIAN belongs with ordinary descriptors, while the other three are part of the Monopoly-square group. Connections rewards a category that explains all four words consistently, not a loose link that fits only part of a set.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which November 16 puzzle is this?
The date needs a year to identify the puzzle. This answer key is for Sunday, November 16, 2025, game #889. November 16, 2024 was a different puzzle, game #524, with groups about leak prevention, kinds of hats, college football team members and “Go ___,” according to Try Hard Guides.
Quick Recap
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