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NYT Connections #878 for Wednesday, November 5, 2025, groups the 16 words around mishandled tasks, Clue weapons, soul singers and compounds beginning with “rain.” If you want to solve it first, use the color hints below before opening the full groups and explanations.
Hints for Connections #878
- Yellow: Ways to ruin or mishandle something.
- Green: Think of the rooms and murder weapons in the classic whodunit board game.
- Blue: Four legendary singers from the same genre, listed by surname.
- Purple: Add each word to “rain” to make a familiar compound.
All 16 words
KNIGHT, COAT, BUTCHER, BAKER, FLACK, KNIFE, CANDLESTICK, MAKER, FRANKLIN, FOREST, BOW, BLOW, SPOIL, WRENCH, BOTCH, ROPE.
Connections #878 answers
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Make a hash of | BLOW, BOTCH, BUTCHER, SPOIL |
| Green | Weapons in the game Clue | CANDLESTICK, KNIFE, ROPE, WRENCH |
| Blue | Iconic soul singers | BAKER, FLACK, FRANKLIN, KNIGHT |
| Purple | RAIN_____ | BOW, COAT, FOREST, MAKER |
Why the groups fit—and what makes the puzzle tricky
Yellow: Make a hash of
BLOW, BOTCH, BUTCHER and SPOIL can each describe ruining, mishandling or badly executing something.
Green: Weapons in the game Clue
CANDLESTICK, KNIFE, ROPE and WRENCH are classic implements in Clue, the murder-mystery board game.
#1 Best Overall
Blue: Iconic soul singers
The surnames identify Anita Baker, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. The game gives only surnames, so recognizing the singers is the key.
Purple: RAIN_____
Put “rain” before BOW, COAT, FOREST and MAKER to form rainbow, raincoat, rainforest and rainmaker.
Rank #2
A tempting false pattern is BUTCHER, BAKER, CANDLESTICK and MAKER, which echo the nursery-rhyme phrase “the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker.” Those words actually split across three different groups. COAT can look like a standalone noun or verb, but here it completes “raincoat”; ROPE belongs with Clue weapons rather than a verb phrase. All Things How rated the puzzle 3.5 out of 5 for difficulty in its 2025 guide, an editorial assessment rather than an official game statistic.
How to play Connections
Connections is a free New York Times daily word game available on the NYT website and Games app. Arrange 16 words into four groups of four; a fourth incorrect guess ends the game, so you can afford up to three mistakes. An All Access or Games subscription provides access to the archive of previous puzzles.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- THE ORIGINAL & GENUINE – Invented by Tom Sturdevant and available on the only official Q-Less store on Amazon. Don't settle for inferior knockoffs.
- ONE MINUTE TO LEARN, IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN – Roll 12 lettered dice, then use ALL of them to build connecting words of 3+ letters. No timer, no scoring, no opponent — just you and the dice.
- A REAL SCREEN-FREE CHALLENGE – Tangible, analog brain exercise that challenges your word knowledge and strategic thinking. Most rolls are solvable... but not all.
- GOES ANYWHERE – 12 dice in a sleek, pocket-sized tin. Perfect for flights, road trips, camping, coffee shops, and waiting rooms.
- THE GIFT THEY’LL PLAY OVER AND OVER – Ideal stocking stuffer or birthday gift for crossword, Scrabble, and Wordle fans of all ages.
Sources
- Forbes: Connections hints and answers for November 5, 2025
- All Things How: Connections hints and answers for November 5, 2025
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