If you’re trying to keep a streak alive, start with light hints, then scroll for the full categories and solutions. You can play today’s puzzle on the official Connections page at nytimes.com/games/connections.

NYT Connections today (#857) — the 16 words

Spoilers start below.

KIDNEYGOLFGREATBRONCO
PINTOVACUUMKIDDIELIMA
NAVYOLYMPICELEPHANTFIESTA
INFINITYBRAVOMUSTANGDELTA

Connections #857 — group hints

  • Yellow: Places you swim
  • Green: Words used to spell letters clearly
  • Blue: All from the same car brand
  • Purple: Add a word that rhymes with “meal”

Connections #857 — full answers

Group Category Words
Yellow Types of pools INFINITY, KIDDIE, KIDNEY, OLYMPIC
Green In the NATO phonetic alphabet BRAVO, DELTA, GOLF, LIMA
Blue Ford models BRONCO, FIESTA, MUSTANG, PINTO
Purple ____ SEAL ELEPHANT, GREAT, NAVY, VACUUM

Watch the big red herring

Four words can look like a set of beans — PINTO, KIDNEY, LIMA, and NAVY — but they don’t form a category today. Three of them slot into other groups, and PINTO belongs with the Ford models.

Today’s difficulty

Testers rated this puzzle 3.3 out of 5 for difficulty. If you solved the phonetic alphabet or spotted Ford’s lineup early, the rest likely fell into place.

That’s the wall for October 15. Come back tomorrow for a fresh grid, or chase a reverse rainbow if you like living dangerously.