NYT Connections puzzle #765, published Tuesday, July 15, 2025, groups its words around gymnastics apparatus, forcing someone to leave, 2022 horror films, and phrases that begin with “horse.” Try the spoiler-light hints below before opening the answer key.
Hints for Connections #765
Use these clues in order, from broadest to more revealing. The answers follow in a separate section.
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- Gymnastics: Think of equipment used in an Olympic discipline.
- Make someone go: Each word can mean forcing a person to leave.
- Horror on screen: These are titles of horror films released in 2022.
- Complete the phrase: Put “horse” before each word to make a familiar compound or expression.
Connections #765 answers
Spoilers: The four groups and their words are below.
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Yellow: Gymnastics apparatus
BARS, BEAM, RINGS, VAULT
Green: Force to leave
BOOT, BOUNCE, EJECT, REMOVE
Blue: Horror movies from 2022
NOPE, PEARL, SCREAM, SMILE
Purple: HORSE___
FEATHERS, PLAY, POWER, SHOE
Why the groups fit
Gymnastics apparatus
Bars, beam, rings, and vault are all apparatus or events associated with artistic gymnastics.
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Force to leave
To boot, bounce, eject, or remove someone is to make them leave. Some of these words have other common meanings, so consider how they might function as verbs.
2022 horror movies
Nope, Pearl, Scream, and Smile are all horror-film titles from 2022.
Words that follow “horse”
Adding “horse” makes horse feathers, horseplay, horsepower, and horseshoe. This group relies on completing phrases rather than finding four words with the same standalone definition, which makes it easier to miss until the other words have been sorted.
A practical way to approach this board
- Take the clearest literal set first. The gymnastics equipment gives a strong starting point.
- Keep alternate meanings in mind. Words such as “boot” and “bounce” can belong to more than one idea; test the whole set of four rather than locking in on a single word.
- Use elimination, but check for wordplay. The last four words may connect through a shared prefix or phrase completion, not a shared definition.
- Wait for all four examples. Recognizing several film titles is a useful clue, but confirming the fourth word helps distinguish a real category from a tempting near-match.
Connections asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four. The groups are color-coded by difficulty, and players have up to four mistakes. You can find the game on NYT Games.
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