Spoiler warning: The word bank comes first, followed by graduated hints, category names, and the complete answers for NYT Connections game #854, dated Sunday, October 12, 2025. Stop at any layer to limit spoilers. Connections releases at midnight in each player’s timezone, so “today” can mean different calendar dates in different locations.
Word bank for Sunday, October 12, 2025
The 16 words in game #854 are:
- BEGINS
- SWIFT
- DAYS
- RETURNS
- FOREVER
- ENDING
- ROBIN
- TRAILS
- SWALLOW
- PIONEERS
- PERMANENT
- INSTITUTES
- EVERLASTING
- KITE
- LAUNCHES
- ETERNAL
The word bank and answer groups are reported by TechRadar’s date-specific guide; Forbes’ guide reports the same words and groups.
Gentle group hints
These clues reveal the general idea of each group without naming its category:
- Yellow: Won’t fade away.
- Green: At the start.
- Blue: Feathered friends.
- Purple: Start with the opposite of “sad.”
Category names
- Yellow: FOR ALL TIME
- Green: ESTABLISHES
- Blue: BIRDS
- Purple: HAPPY ____
Full answers for game #854
Reveal the four groups below only if you want the complete solution:
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- Yellow — FOR ALL TIME: ETERNAL, EVERLASTING, FOREVER, PERMANENT
- Green — ESTABLISHES: BEGINS, INSTITUTES, LAUNCHES, PIONEERS
- Blue — BIRDS: KITE, ROBIN, SWALLOW, SWIFT
- Purple — HAPPY ____: DAYS, ENDING, RETURNS, TRAILS
How Connections works
Connections presents 16 words and asks players to sort them into four groups of four based on a shared theme. The groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. The New York Times Help Center notes that words can appear to fit more than one category, even though each puzzle has exactly one solution: “Each puzzle has exactly one solution and is meant to be tricky by having words that could fit into multiple categories.” The game’s rules and this description are in the NYT Help Center.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Playing the archived puzzle
The NYT Help Center says eligible All Access and Games subscribers can play archive puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023. Archive play affects statistics but not streaks, and a completed archive puzzle cannot be replayed. The Help Center lists the Games app, nytimes.com/games/connections, nytimes.com/theathletic, and the News app as places to play; access terms may change.
Quick Recap
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