The NYT Connections puzzle for Tuesday, October 21, 2025, is game #863. Its four groups are playing-card ranks, synonyms for “takes on,” NBA teams, and things controlled with remotes. If you want to solve it yourself first, use the hints below; the complete grouping follows.
Hints for Connections #863
- One group consists of four ranks from a standard deck of playing cards.
- Look for four verbs that can mean taking responsibility for or dealing with something.
- Four tiles are names of NBA teams. Some other tiles may also look like sports-team names, so focus on the intended set.
- The final group includes objects and devices operated remotely.
Connections answers for October 21, 2025
These are the 16 tiles, organized by their shared connection. TechRadar and Forbes independently reported the date, game number, tiles, and solution.
| Category | Tiles | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Playing cards | ACES, JACKS, KINGS, QUEENS | Ranks in a deck of playing cards. |
| Takes on | ADDRESSES, DOES, HANDLES, TACKLES | Verbs meaning to take on or deal with something. |
| N.B.A. teams | BUCKS, BULLS, HORNETS, SPURS | Names of NBA teams: Milwaukee, Chicago, Charlotte, and San Antonio. |
| Things you can control with remotes | DRONES, GARAGE DOORS, TELEVISIONS, WIIS | Devices or equipment operated with a remote control. |
Why the groups fit—and where the traps are
Playing-card ranks
ACES, JACKS, KINGS, and QUEENS are all familiar card ranks. JACKS, KINGS, and ACES can also suggest sports teams, but they are not part of this puzzle’s NBA group.
“Takes on” as a verb phrase
ADDRESSES, DOES, HANDLES, and TACKLES can each describe taking on or dealing with a task, issue, or challenge. DOES belongs here as a verb—not with the animal-related words.
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The NBA teams
BUCKS, BULLS, HORNETS, and SPURS are the intended team names: the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, and San Antonio Spurs. The presence of KINGS and ACES elsewhere makes sports associations a tempting distraction, but those tiles complete the card-rank group instead.
Remote-controlled items
DRONES, GARAGE DOORS, and TELEVISIONS are controlled remotely. WIIS refers to Nintendo Wii consoles, which are operated with a Wii Remote.
The animal and insect red herring
Several tiles invite a literal animal or insect reading: bucks and does are deer, a jack can mean a male donkey, bulls are cattle, and drones and queens are terms associated with social insects. That interpretation does not produce the puzzle’s four intended groups. Sort the words by the specific relationships above instead.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Connections works
Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four that share a theme. The link may be a straightforward category, a word meaning, or a less obvious association, so a tile can plausibly point toward more than one group. Forbes describes the game as ending after a fourth incorrect guess; its color-coded groups and red herrings are part of the challenge.
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