Need a nudge on Tuesday’s NYT Connections? Start with the four clues below; the category names and complete solution are farther down, behind a spoiler warning. This is puzzle #877, dated November 4, 2025.
Hints for Connections #877
Try each clue before scrolling to the answers. They move from a broad hint toward the group’s theme.
- Yellow: Think of verbs for getting something moving in a chosen direction.
- Green: Look for a very thin covering or layer.
- Blue: Look for suffixes used to identify computer file formats.
- Purple: Each word can come before “guitar.”
If you need one representative tile from each group, try GUIDE, FILM, DOC, and AIR.
Spoiler warning: categories and answers
The categories and all 16 tiles are listed below.
| Category | Words | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|
| STEER | DIRECT, DRIVE, GUIDE, PILOT | Each can mean guiding or directing a course. |
| THIN LAYER | COAT, FILM, LEAF, SHEET | Each can name a thin covering, such as a coat of paint or a sheet of ice. |
| FILE EXTENSIONS | DOC, MID, TIFF, ZIP | These are file suffixes or formats: DOC for a document, MID for MIDI, TIFF for an image format, and ZIP for an archive. |
| ___ GUITAR | AIR, ELECTRIC, RHYTHM, SLIDE | Each forms a familiar phrase or guitar type: air guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar, and slide guitar. |
How Connections works
Connections presents 16 words and asks you to sort them into four groups of four based on a shared connection. You can make up to four incorrect guesses, according to the puzzle guides cited for this edition.
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Forbes reports that Connections is free to play on the NYT website or Games app and that a Games or All Access subscription includes access to the archive. Subscription terms and pricing can change, so check the current NYT Games details before subscribing.
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