Need a nudge before the answers? Puzzle #872, published Thursday, October 30, 2025, asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. Start with the graduated hints below, then open the spoiler section for the complete groups and explanations.
Hints for Connections #872
Try these clues in order, stopping as soon as one helps you find a group:
- One group consists of affectionate names for someone you love.
- Another contains familiar kinds of fiction.
- Look for words that can name groups of birds.
- For the trickiest group, pair each surname with a well-known person whose first name is also a U.S. city.
One-word hints
If you only need a starting point, the four groups include SUGAR, FANTASY, GAGGLE, and BUTLER, respectively.
Spoilers: the answers to Connections #872
Stop here if you still want to solve the puzzle yourself. The four groups and their words are:
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#1 Best Overall
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Terms of Endearment | ANGEL, LOVE, PUMPKIN, SUGAR |
| Green | Fiction Genres | FANTASY, HORROR, MYSTERY, ROMANCE |
| Blue | Collective Nouns for Birds | CHARM, GAGGLE, MURDER, PARLIAMENT |
| Purple | People Whose First Names Are U.S. Cities | BLOOM, BUTLER, GUTHRIE, LEVY |
Why the groups fit
Yellow: Terms of Endearment
ANGEL, LOVE, PUMPKIN, and SUGAR can each be used as an affectionate name for a person.
Green: Fiction Genres
FANTASY, HORROR, MYSTERY, and ROMANCE are all fiction genres.
Blue: Collective Nouns for Birds
CHARM, GAGGLE, MURDER, and PARLIAMENT are collective nouns associated with birds. CHARM and MURDER may look like distractions because they are also familiar words with other meanings.
Purple: People Whose First Names Are U.S. Cities
Add a well-known first name that is also a U.S. city to each surname: Orlando Bloom, Austin Butler, Savannah Guthrie, and Eugene Levy. The tiles are the surnames, not the cities.
Play Connections
Connections challenges players to sort 16 items into four groups of four. You can find the game on the NYT Games site.
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