NYT Connections puzzle #843 is the Wednesday, October 1, 2025 edition. Read the spoiler-light hints first, then open the answer section for the four groups and explanations.
Hints for Connections #843
Try these clues before looking at the category names or answers:
- Think of swift, turbulent water.
- These words can mean to attack someone’s work or reputation with criticism.
- Picture spaces—or calls—where sound returns as an echo.
- Each word can come immediately before “prize.”
Connections #843 answers: spoiler warning
Spoilers below: the category names and all 16 answers follow.
Yellow — Fast-moving water
CATARACT, CURRENT, RAPIDS, WHIRLPOOL
Green — Criticize
FLAME, KNOCK, SKEWER, SLAM
Blue — Echoey places
CANYON, HALLWAY, TUNNEL, ZOOM CALL
Purple — ___ prize
BOOBY, DOOR, FIRST, JURY
Why the answers fit
Fast-moving water
A cataract is a waterfall; a current is moving water; rapids are turbulent water; and a whirlpool is rotating water. The spelling is CATARACT.
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Criticize
To flame, knock, skewer, or slam someone or something can mean to criticize it harshly.
Echoey places
A canyon, hallway, or tunnel can reverberate. ZOOM CALL belongs through its audio: a call can echo even though it is not a physical place.
Rank #2
___ prize
The words complete the familiar phrases booby prize, door prize, first prize, and jury prize.
The full 16-word bank
CANYON · HALLWAY · RAPIDS · FLAME · CURRENT · JURY · SLAM · DOOR · TUNNEL · CATARACT · BOOBY · SKEWER · KNOCK · FIRST · ZOOM CALL · WHIRLPOOL
How Connections works
Connections presents 16 words and asks players to sort them into four groups of four that share a theme. Yellow is intended to be easiest and purple trickiest, but the colors indicate difficulty rather than a required solving order. Words can appear to fit more than one theme, so it can help to wait before submitting a plausible group and reconsider the remaining words after locking in a category. The New York Times Help Center says each puzzle has one solution and that its editors curate words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play and access the archive
The official Help Center lists the NYT Games website, Games app, NYTimes.com/theathletic, and News app as places to play. The daily puzzle releases at midnight in each player’s timezone. The Connections archive goes back to June 12, 2023, and archive access is available to All Access and Games subscribers. See the official Connections help page for game guidance and NYT Games support information for access details.
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