NYT Connections puzzle #869 is from Monday, October 27, 2025—not today’s puzzle. Its four groups are Emanate, In the slightest, Cocktail garnishes and words that come before FOUR. The complete answer key and the reasoning behind the trickier links are below.
Connections #869 answers for October 27, 2025
The 16 words in this puzzle are ONLY, CONNECT, OLIVE, BRANCH, FAB, FAN, JUST, TWIST, FANTASTIC, SIMPLY, CHERRY, SPREAD, RADIATE, MINT, PETIT and MERELY. They sort into these four groups:
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Yellow — Emanate | BRANCH, FAN, RADIATE, SPREAD |
| Green — In the slightest | JUST, MERELY, ONLY, SIMPLY |
| Blue — Cocktail garnishes | CHERRY, MINT, OLIVE, TWIST |
| Purple — ___ FOUR | CONNECT, FAB, FANTASTIC, PETIT |
The date and puzzle number are corroborated by two puzzle guides; the answer key and category explanations are reported by All Things How and the edition is also identified by TechRadar.
Why the words fit
Yellow: Emanate
BRANCH and FAN can pair with “out” to describe extending outward: to branch out or fan out. RADIATE and SPREAD also describe extending or sending outward. The trap is that FAN and SPREAD can also be read as nouns; their verb senses fit this group.
#1 Best Overall
Green: In the slightest
JUST, MERELY, ONLY and SIMPLY can all express restriction or minimization. For example, “only a little” and “simply not enough” use the words in this sense.
Blue: Cocktail garnishes
CHERRY, MINT, OLIVE and TWIST are familiar drink garnishes.
Purple: ___ FOUR
Add the same word after each tile: Connect Four, the Fab Four, the Fantastic Four and petit four. This is a phrase-completion pattern, not a set of synonyms. Trying the shared word after each candidate helps expose the connection.
Quick Recap
Best Value
How to approach the puzzle’s less obvious links
- Check more than one part of speech. FAN and SPREAD look like possible nouns, but their verb meanings belong with BRANCH and RADIATE.
- Test phrase completion. If several remaining words can precede the same word, the link may be a familiar name or expression rather than a shared definition. Here, that word is FOUR.
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