NYT Connections Today: Hints and Answers for Sunday, October 26, 2025
Welcome to today's NYT Connections puzzle solution for Sunday, October 26, 2025. Whether you're stuck on a tricky category or just want to check your answers, you'll find complete hints and solutions below. This puzzle features 16 words that need to be organized into 4 distinct groups based on their connections.
How To Play NYT Connections
Connections is a free daily word game from The New York Times that challenges your pattern recognition and vocabulary skills. You can play it on the NYT's website or through their Games app. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you gain access to the Connections archive, which includes every puzzle since the game launched.
The game presents you with a grid of 16 words (and sometimes phrases, symbols, or numbers). Your goal is to organize them into four groups of four items each. The challenge lies in figuring out what connects each group—the categories aren't revealed upfront, so you need to discover the patterns yourself.
There's only one correct solution, and the puzzle often includes red herrings designed to mislead you. You're allowed three incorrect guesses. Make a fourth wrong guess, and the game ends.
Each group is color-coded by difficulty. Typically, the yellow group is the easiest to identify, followed by green, blue, and finally purple as the most challenging. Often, yellow and green groups feature synonyms or straightforward categories, blue groups involve cultural references or specific knowledge, and purple groups typically include wordplay or more abstract connections. However, this isn't a strict rule—the NYT loves to throw curveballs to keep players on their toes.
Like Wordle and similar games, Connections makes it easy to share your results with friends using an emoji-based grid. The game also tracks your progress and win streak. Many dedicated players take pride in maintaining long win streaks or achieving a "reverse rainbow"—correctly guessing the purple, blue, green, and yellow groups in that exact order without any mistakes. This adds an extra layer of challenge for those seeking to master the game.
New to Connections? Check out our comprehensive how to play guide for detailed strategies, expert tips, and complete rules to improve your game. You can also visit our ConnectionsExplorer homepage to access all daily puzzles and solutions.

Today's 16 Words
Here are all the words in today's puzzle. Take a moment to study them before revealing the hints or answers. Can you spot any patterns or connections?
Today's NYT Connections Hints
Before revealing the full answers, here are some hints for each category. These clues should help guide you toward the solution without giving everything away immediately.
Yellow: KINDS OF INSTRUMENTS
Difficulty: Usually (Yellow)
Green: WORDS IN A FAMOUS MUHAMMAD ALI QUOTE
Difficulty: Fairly Easy (Green)
Blue: KINDS OF CONTESTS
Difficulty: Tricky (Blue)
Purple: WORDS WITH DIMINUTIVE SUFFIXES
Difficulty: Very Tricky (Purple)
Today's NYT Connections Answers
⚠️ Spoiler Alert! The complete solutions are revealed below. Make sure you've given the puzzle your best shot before scrolling down!
KINDS OF INSTRUMENTS
WORDS IN A FAMOUS MUHAMMAD ALI QUOTE
KINDS OF CONTESTS
WORDS WITH DIMINUTIVE SUFFIXES
Tips for Solving Future Puzzles
🎯 Start with What You Know
Begin by identifying the most obvious connections. Yellow categories are usually the easiest, so look for straightforward synonyms or clear thematic groups first. Once you eliminate the easier categories, the remaining words become easier to organize.
🔍 Look for Multiple Meanings
Many words in Connections have multiple meanings or can be part of different phrases. Consider all possible interpretations before committing to a guess. The purple category especially loves to play with homophones and wordplay.
⚠️ Watch Out for Red Herrings
The puzzle designers intentionally include words that seem like they could fit multiple categories. If you're stuck between two possible groupings, take a step back and consider which connection is more specific or complete.
💭 Think About Word Forms
Pay attention to whether words could be verbs, nouns, adjectives, or parts of common phrases. Sometimes the connection isn't about meaning but about how words function or sound.
Understanding Difficulty Levels
Every Connections puzzle uses a color-coded system to indicate difficulty. Here's what each color typically represents:
Usually (Yellow)
The most straightforward category, often featuring common synonyms or obvious thematic connections.
Fairly Easy (Green)
Requires more thought but remains accessible. May involve less common associations or broader categories.
Tricky (Blue)
Demands specific knowledge or the ability to spot subtle patterns. Often includes cultural references.
Very Tricky (Purple)
The most challenging category, frequently involving wordplay, homophones, or highly abstract connections.
That's All for Today!
That wraps up today's Connections hints and answers for Sunday, October 26, 2025. We hope this guide helped you solve the puzzle or confirmed your solutions. Whether you breezed through it or found it challenging, remember that each puzzle is an opportunity to sharpen your pattern recognition skills.
Come back tomorrow for fresh hints and solutions for the next puzzle. In the meantime, why not explore our archive to practice with previous puzzles? The more you play, the better you'll become at spotting those tricky connections!
Have a wonderful day! Stay curious, keep challenging yourself, and remember to share this with friends who love word puzzles as much as you do!
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