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NYT Connections puzzle #861 was published Sunday, October 19, 2025. If you’re looking for a nudge before seeing the solution, start with the hints below; the complete groups and all 16 answers follow under a spoiler warning.
Hints for Connections #861
These clues move from broad category hints to more direct help. Stop whenever you have enough to solve the board.
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Category-level hints
- One group is about falling over.
- One group names parts of a book.
- One group completes a phrase meaning “lose it.”
- One group is made from candy-bar names with an extra letter.
More direct hints
- For the phrase group, each word is followed by “out.”
- For the candy-bar group, think of Crunch, Dove, Mars, and Snickers.
- FALL and LEAVES can suggest autumn, while JACKET and SKORT can suggest clothing; those associations cross the puzzle’s actual groups.
Spoiler warning: full answers for October 19, 2025
The category labels and complete tile groupings for Connections #861 are below.
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Yellow: Topple
FALL, SPILL, TUMBLE, WIPEOUT
Green: Parts of a book
COVER, JACKET, LEAVES, SPINE
Blue: Lose it, with “out”
BUG, FLIP, FREAK, WIG
The phrases are “bug out,” “flip out,” “freak out,” and “wig out.”
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Purple: Chocolate bars plus a letter
CRUNCHY, DOVER, MARSH, SKORT
Each tile adds a letter to a candy-bar name: CRUNCH becomes CRUNCHY, DOVE becomes DOVER, MARS becomes MARSH, and SNICKERS becomes SKORT by adding a letter and rearranging the resulting letters.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Replay the archived puzzle
The New York Times Help Center says its Connections archive goes back to June 12, 2023, and that historical puzzles are available to Games and All Access subscribers. See the official Connections help page for archive details.
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