The NYT Connections game continues to engage players with its unique word-association format. On October 17, 2025, players tackled Puzzle #859, which featured a 4×4 grid of 16 scattered words. The challenge lies in organizing these words into four distinct categories.
Understanding NYT Connections
NYT Connections represents a daily online word challenge from The New York Times. Participants must identify four groups of four words based on thematic links. Clues are color-coded by difficulty: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (hardest). Players are allotted up to four attempts to classify the words before the final answer is revealed.
Today’s Puzzle Hints
To assist players without revealing the complete solution, today’s Connections Hints guide readers toward likely themes. Here are the categories for October 17:
- Yellow: Presentation hardware
- Green: Souvenir
- Blue: Characters in fables
- Purple: Terms used in weather forecasts
Full Answers for Game #859
For those seeking the complete solution to Puzzle #859, the correct groupings are:
- Used During a Presentation: Clicker, Laser Pointer, Projector, Slides
- Items in a Souvenir Shop: Figurine, Key Ring, Magnet, Postcard
- Folktale Characters: Chicken Little, Jack, Thumbelina, Tom Thumb
- Weather Terms: Beaufort Scale, Dewpoint, Heat Index, Wind Chill
Difficulty Assessment
This puzzle is rated 3 out of 5 in difficulty. The yellow and green categories are easier to identify, while the blue and purple groups require more specific knowledge of names and technical terms. This range of difficulty caters to both new and seasoned players.
Smart Playing Tips
- Start with the most straightforward clues, typically the yellow category.
- Identify unrelated words to reveal letters of themed words after three correct guesses.
- Utilize the shuffle feature to rearrange the grid for better insights.
- Look for semantic groupings rather than relying on rhymes or surface meanings.
FAQs
What are Connections Hints? These are brief prompts that indicate the theme of each colored category. They help narrow down choices in the grid.
Can I replay a Connections puzzle? No, each daily puzzle is unique and cannot be re-solved once completed. However, reviewing past puzzles can enhance future performance.
