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Spoilers ahead: These are the hints and answers for NYT Connections puzzle #908, published Friday, December 5, 2025—not today’s live puzzle. Start with the four nudges below, then reveal a sample word, category names, and finally the complete sets.
Hints for Connections #908
Try each nudge before moving on to the next reveal.
- You might have to navigate these kinds of scenarios carefully.
- Gather all the information and get your bearings, perhaps.
- This clue may get someone to “go” get a ticket to ride.
- Think of “girl,” “sales,” and “table” as prompts to complete a phrase.
One word from each group
The representative words are STICKY, STORY, SORRY, and SMALL.
Category names
- Yellow: TRICKY
- Green: STATE OF AFFAIRS
- Blue: CLASSIC BOARD GAMES
- Purple: ___ TALK
Answers for December 5, 2025
The 16-word board asks players to sort each word into one of four groups of four. The full answer sets are:
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →- Yellow — TRICKY: COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY, TOUGH.
- Green — STATE OF AFFAIRS: DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS, STORY.
- Blue — CLASSIC BOARD GAMES: MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION, SORRY.
- Purple — ___ TALK: BABY, PILLOW, SMALL, SWEET.
Why the words fit
Yellow: TRICKY
COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY, and TOUGH can each describe a difficult or tricky matter.
Green: STATE OF AFFAIRS
DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS, and STORY can each refer to the circumstances or state of affairs at hand.
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Blue: CLASSIC BOARD GAMES
MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION, and SORRY are names of board games.
Purple: ___ TALK
Each word completes a familiar phrase ending in “talk”: baby talk, pillow talk, small talk, and sweet talk. This group relies on phrase completion, rather than shared meanings or synonyms.
How to approach the board
The four groups use different kinds of connections: descriptive meanings, words for a situation, named games, and a shared phrase ending. Spotting which kind of link a possible group uses can help separate overlapping associations; SITUATION, for example, may initially suggest a game-related link, but its official group is STATE OF AFFAIRS.
How Connections works
Connections presents 16 words and asks you to organize them into four groups of four. Forbes’ guide to this puzzle says players can make up to three incorrect guesses before a fourth ends the game. MASTERMIND is one of the game names in the blue group; there is no need to own or play the physical board game to solve the puzzle.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and archive access
The answer sets and puzzle number are consistent across dated guides from Forbes, TechRadar, and Try Hard Guides. These are secondary guides rather than the New York Times’ own archive. Forbes says older puzzles can be accessed with an NYT Games or All Access subscription; current access terms may vary.
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Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
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