NYT Connections puzzle #868 is from Sunday, October 26, 2025. Start with the spoiler-light category nudges below; each section reveals more until you reach the full groups and answers.
Hints for Connections #868
Each group contains four words linked by a shared idea. These nudges point toward the categories without listing the complete solutions.
- Yellow: Think of ways to classify musical instruments.
- Green: Think of a famous Muhammad Ali line about an insect and a punch.
- Blue: Consider different kinds of competitions.
- Purple: Look at the endings of the words for diminutive suffixes.
One word from each group
If the category nudges are not enough, these representative words offer a further clue. Stop here if you want to solve the remaining three words in each group yourself.
- Yellow: BRASS
- Green: BUTTERFLY
- Blue: TALENT
- Purple: DOGGY
Complete answers for October 26, 2025
The full word bank was STARLING, BRASS, BEAUTY, BEE, STARING, FLOAT, DROPLET, WIND, STRING, TALENT, BUTTERFLY, KITCHENETTE, STING, DOGGY, PERCUSSION, and POPULARITY.
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#1 Best Overall
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Kinds of instruments | BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, WIND |
| Green | Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote | BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING |
| Blue | Kinds of contests | BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, TALENT |
| Purple | Words with diminutive suffixes | DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, STARLING |
Why the groups fit
Yellow: Kinds of instruments
BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, and WIND are broad instrument families or classifications.
Green: Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote
BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, and STING appear in the line “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
Blue: Kinds of contests
BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, and TALENT each complete a familiar contest type: beauty, popularity, staring, and talent contests.
Purple: Words with diminutive suffixes
DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, and STARLING end in forms that function as diminutive suffixes. The less obvious links are among the word endings, rather than the words’ surface meanings.
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How Connections works
Connections gives players sixteen words to sort into four groups of four based on a shared connection. TechRadar describes the game as allowing up to four mistakes and being playable through NYT Games on desktop or mobile; check the current NYT Games page for access details.
AllThings.How rated this puzzle 2.5 out of 5 in its 2025 guide. That is the outlet’s editorial difficulty rating, not an official New York Times rating.
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