Spoiler warning: This guide covers NYT Connections game #689, dated Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Start with the graduated hints below if you want a nudge; the category names and full word groups follow.
Hints for Connections #689
Try these clues in order before revealing the categories:
- Think feet first.
- Lodging.
- Your honor.
- Look for disgust in the word endings.
These hints move from the more concrete groups toward the trickier wordplay. The published guides also offer alternate phrasings: ComicBook.com describes the last clue as “A disgusting end (of words),” while Parade frames it as a word ending connected with something unpleasant.
The 16 words
The board’s words are:
CAPACITY, CHAIRS, DYNASTY, ENGROSS, FACE, GIMMICK, HEEL, IMAGE, MILDEW, REGARD, ROOM, SEATING, SOLE, STANDING, TONGUE, UPPER.
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Category names and answers
Spoilers below.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Parts of a shoe | HEEL, SOLE, TONGUE, UPPER |
| Green | Accommodation | CAPACITY, CHAIRS, ROOM, SEATING |
| Blue | Reputation | FACE, IMAGE, REGARD, STANDING |
| Purple | Ending with synonyms for “yuck” | DYNASTY, ENGROSS, GIMMICK, MILDEW |
Why the purple group fits
Each word contains a short ending that can mean or suggest something unpleasant: DYNASTY ends in NASTY, ENGROSS in GROSS, GIMMICK in ICK, and MILDEW in DEW. The connection is at the end of each word, rather than in the words’ broader meanings.
How the puzzle works
Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four. The groups are color-coded by difficulty, and players submit a selected set of four; Try Hard Guides says a player can make up to four mistakes. If a word seems to fit more than one possible group, look for the set of four that shares the most precise common link.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Edition check
This is the April 30, 2025 puzzle, game #689—not a later puzzle that happens to fall on April 30. TechRadar and Try Hard Guides published their guides on April 29 while identifying the April 30 game; ComicBook.com and Parade dated their matching guides April 30.
Sources: TechRadar, Try Hard Guides, ComicBook.com, and Parade.
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