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NYT Connections puzzle #862, for Monday, October 20, 2025, groups its 16 words into four categories. Start with the spoiler-safe hints below; the category names and complete answers follow in a separate reveal.
Spoiler-safe hints for Connections #862
These broad clues point toward the four groups without giving away their category names:
- Bothered by something
- In the stars
- Chemical elements
- Add a word that rhymes with “torn”
Category names
Stop here if you want to solve the groups yourself. The four categories are:
- Affliction
- Represented by constellations
- Periodic table symbols
- ___corn
Full answers for October 20, 2025
Spoilers: the complete word sets are listed below.
- Yellow — Affliction: BUGBEAR, COMPLEX, DEMON, HANG-UP
- Green — Represented by constellations: BIG BEAR, CENTAUR, HUNTER, LYRE
- Blue — Periodic table symbols: AS, BE, I, K
- Purple — ___CORN: A, CAPRI, POP, UNI
Why the words fit
Yellow: Affliction
Bugbear, complex, demon, and hang-up can each refer to a personal trouble or persistent difficulty.
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Green: Represented by constellations
Big Bear, Centaur, Hunter, and Lyre correspond to names represented by constellations.
Blue: Periodic table symbols
AS, BE, I, and K are the chemical symbols for arsenic, beryllium, iodine, and potassium, respectively.
Purple: ___corn
Complete each entry with “corn,” which rhymes with “torn”: acorn, Capricorn, popcorn, and unicorn.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Connections works
Connections asks players to select four words that share a common link and submit them as a group. A secondary guide, Try Hard Guides, describes the game as allowing up to four mistakes and resetting at local midnight. That guide does not establish current New York Times archive access or subscription terms.
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