Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle (#868) – Hints, Answers and Strategy for October 26, 2025
On October 26, 2025, the acclaimed daily word-puzzle game Connections from the The New York Times released its puzzle number 868. For many players around the world this Sunday edition posed a mix of familiar themes alongside clever twists. Here’s a full breakdown of today’s puzzle: what the hints were, the word groups you needed to find, how the categories were structured, and tips to sharpen your strategy going forward.
What is Connections?
The New York Times launched Connections in June 2023 as part of its expanding “Games” collection. The objective is simple but engaging: each day you are presented with 16 words, and your task is to divide them into four groups of four words each that share a common theme. Each theme is assigned a difficulty level indicated by colour: yellow (easiest), then green, blue, and purple (most challenging). You have up to four wrong attempts each day, so strategy matters.
Because the game appears daily at midnight local time, players who keep their streaks active must often sharpen pattern-recognition and lateral-thinking skills.
Puzzle #868 for October 26, 2025 – Overview
Here are the 16 words that appeared in today’s puzzle:
BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING
BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, WIND
BUAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, TALENT
DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, STARLING
And here are the four groups / categories:
Colour Category Words
Yellow Kinds of instruments BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, WIND
Green Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING
Blue Kinds of contests BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, TALENT
Purple Words with diminutive suffixes DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, STARLING
Detailed Breakdown of Each Category
1. Kinds of instruments (Yellow – the easiest group)
This group is fairly direct: describe broad families of musical instruments. “Brass”, “Percussion”, “String”, “Wind”. Identifying this group early can give you confidence and clear space for the other groups.
2. Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote (Green)
This group is a clever nod to the legendary boxer’s line: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. Recognising that reference helps you place BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING together.
3. Kinds of contests (Blue)
This category requires a little more abstraction: “Beauty contest”, “Popularity contest”, “Staring contest” and “Talent contest”. Once you spot the “contest” link, you group those four.
4. Words with diminutive suffixes (Purple – the hardest group)
This set is trickier. The common thread is suffixes that imply “small” or “little”: “-doggy”, “-droplet”, “-kitchenette”, “-starling”. It takes more lateral thinking, because the link is morphological rather than topical.
Why Today’s Puzzle Was Interesting
It mixed both very direct categories (like instrument types) and more abstract ones (morphological suffixes).
The inclusion of a pop-culture reference (Ali’s quote) added flair.
The difficulty progression (yellow to purple) followed expected design, yet the purple set forced players to step beyond the obvious.
For players building streaks, recognising the “contest” and “diminutive suffix” categories early offered a strategic advantage.
Strategy Tips for Future Puzzles
Always start with the easiest group (yellow) to build momentum and free up mental space.
Scan the list for obvious pop-culture references or direct links (e.g., famous quotes, slogans). These often form the green or blue groups.
For blue and purple groups, look for subtle links: suffixes/prefixes, word‐morphology, wordplay, or less-typical themes (like contests or shapes).
If stuck, eliminate words that clearly fit one group, then examine what remains; often the hardest group emerges by process of elimination
Use your four-mistake buffer wisely: don’t rush guesses on uncertain groups.
Reflect after each puzzle: ask yourself how the tricky group was disguised or delayed and use that insight next time.
FAQs About Today’s Puzzle
Q1: When does the puzzle reset each day?
A: The daily Connections puzzle resets at midnight local time in your zone.
Q2: How many mistakes am I allowed each day?
A: You may make up to four wrong selections (guesses) before you lose the chance to solve all groups for that day.
Q3: Are the groups always ordered by difficulty?
A: Yes. The yellow group is designed to be easiest, then green, then blue, and purple is meant to pose the most challenge.
Q4: What if I miss one group—can I continue?
A: Yes—you can continue solving leftover groups after one mistake or partial success. The game supports solving at your own pace until you complete or exhaust your allowed errors.
Q5: Where can I find hints or answers if I get stuck?
A: Many gaming-news and puzzle-help websites publish hints and full answers shortly after the daily puzzle appears. (Be aware: these contain spoilers.)
Today’s Connections puzzle (#868) delivered a balanced mix of straightforward and subtle categories. For fans of word games and daily routines, identifying the instrument types and Ali quote offered quick wins, while the contest theme and diminutive-suffix group required sharper thinking.
If you found yourself stalling on the purple group, you are not alone—it’s meant to stretch your associative thinking beyond the obvious. But with strategy, practice and reflection, your success rate will climb.
Keep playing, keep analysing your misses, and enjoy the moment when you solve the puzzle before the images fade or the day ends. See you tomorrow for the next round.
