NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Sunday, October 26, 2025
Stuck on Connections puzzle #868? Each group below starts with a gentle hint. Open a starter word, then the category, and only reveal the full answers when you are ready. Your progress is remembered on this device.
Hints for each group
Hint: Think of the sections you would see in an orchestra pit.
Show one word from this group
One word that belongs here: WIND
Show the category
Kinds of instruments
Hint: A boxing legend described his own fighting style this way.
Show one word from this group
One word that belongs here: BEE
Show the category
Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote
Hint: Things people enter on a stage, in a school hall or at a fair.
Show one word from this group
One word that belongs here: BEAUTY
Show the category
Kinds of contests
Hint: Ignore what the words mean and study how each one finishes.
Show one word from this group
One word that belongs here: DOGGY
Show the category
Words with diminutive suffixes
Full answers for puzzle #868
Reveal all four groups and their words
Kinds of instruments
Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote
Kinds of contests
Words with diminutive suffixes
Why these words go together
Open the walkthrough (contains spoilers)
Kinds of instruments
These are the four families that musical instruments are usually sorted into.
Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote
The quote is about floating like one insect and stinging like another.
Kinds of contests
Each word can be followed by the word contest.
Words with diminutive suffixes
Each ends in a small-making suffix: y, let, ette and ling.
Red herrings to watch for
BEE and STING suggest insects, and BUTTERFLY pulls the same way. STARING and STARLING share letters but sit in different groups.
Safest solving order
Recent Connections hints
- Monday, October 26, 2026 Puzzle #1233
Questions people ask
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- You can miss three times. The fourth wrong guess ends the game, so use our hints before you burn a life.
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- Open yesterday's puzzle or browse the archive.