NYT Connections game #889 is for Sunday, November 16, 2025. Start with the spoiler-light clues below if you want to solve it yourself; the four color-coded groups and all 16 answers follow after a clear spoiler warning.
Hints for Connections #889
The puzzle asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared connection. The following clues are reported by the guides, not verified as official New York Times wording.
- Yellow: Think of a way to do something or a particular approach.
- Green: These words describe something ordinary, dull, or routine.
- Blue: Look for things with stripes or bands.
- Purple: Think of familiar spaces and charges on a famous property-trading board game.
TechRadar’s category clues were “Performing a skill,” “Bland and average,” “Banded stuff,” and “Visited in a famous board game.” Parade offered “Check my _____,” “This is boring,” “Think: a mime’s shirt,” and “Do not pass go, do not collect $200.” These are guide-provided nudges, not confirmed official clues. See TechRadar’s guide and Parade’s guide.
How to approach the trickier connections
Try to identify what kind of connection each set uses rather than forcing every word into the same kind of category. One group is made of words for an approach or system; another collects near-synonyms for ordinary or dull. The stripe group mixes an animal, a logo, clothing, and a barcode, while the final group becomes apparent when you recognize the terms as names on Monopoly squares.
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Some tiles can pull your attention in the wrong direction: TAX and METHOD may initially suggest separate ideas. Consider whether a candidate group accounts for all four words cleanly before submitting it. TechRadar describes the game as allowing up to four mistakes and as playable through NYT Games on desktop or mobile; check the game itself for its current rules and availability. Forbes’ guide also identifies this as the Sunday puzzle.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Spoilers: answers for November 16
Warning: the complete solutions for Connections #889 are below.
| Color | Category | Words | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | TECHNIQUE | APPROACH, METHOD, PHILOSOPHY, SCHOOL | Ways of doing or approaching something |
| Green | RUN-OF-THE-MILL | BANAL, EVERYDAY, HUMDRUM, PEDESTRIAN | Ordinary or dull |
| Blue | STRIPY THINGS | BARCODE, IBM LOGO, RUGBY SHIRT, ZEBRA | Things with stripes |
| Purple | WORDS ON MONOPOLY SQUARES | AVENUE, PARKING, RAILROAD, TAX | Terms found on Monopoly board squares |
The four categories and their words are independently corroborated by Insider Gaming, TechRadar, Forbes, and Parade.
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