Today’s NYT Connections puzzle (No. 902 for November 29, 2025) leans on body vocabulary, backup roles, park scenery, and a trip to the blackjack table. If you’re done wrestling with the grid and just want to verify (or rescue) your streak, all four groups are below, followed by a short explanation of each.
Full Connections answers for #902 (November 29, 2025)
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Abdominal Area | CORE, MIDSECTION, TORSO, TRUNK |
| Green | Replacement | BACKUP, COVER, RELIEF, SUBSTITUTE |
| Blue | Park Staples | BENCH, PIGEON, STATUE, TREE |
| Purple | Blackjack Terms | BUST, HIT, SPLIT, STAND |
Yellow category: Abdominal Area
The yellow group is the most direct set today, all pointing to the central part of the human body:
- CORE – The central part of the body, often used in fitness to mean the muscles around the torso.
- MIDSECTION – A straightforward synonym for the middle of the body.
- TORSO – The body without head, arms, and legs.
- TRUNK – Another anatomical term for the body’s main section.
Nothing here is especially tricky; the main challenge is ignoring “core” as an abstract “center” and keeping it grounded in anatomy.
Green category: Replacement
Green steps up the difficulty by using words that drift across different everyday contexts but all resolve to the idea of a stand-in:
- BACKUP – Someone or something you rely on when the primary option isn’t available.
- COVER – A person filling in for someone else, especially on a shift or assignment.
- RELIEF – A substitute taking over for another person, such as a relief pitcher or relief worker.
- SUBSTITUTE – The most literal of the four, a direct synonym for replacement.
The overlap between job roles, sports, and general usage is what makes this set easy to misplace with other “support” or “help” ideas.
Blue category: Park Staples
Blue moves out into public space, collecting things you’d reasonably expect to find in a city or neighborhood park:
- BENCH – Standard seating along paths or near playgrounds.
- PIGEON – A common bird around open urban spaces.
- STATUE – A frequent centerpiece or memorial in large parks.
- TREE – The basic greenery that often defines the park itself.
A few of these words could have slotted into other mental categories (for example, animals, furniture, or art), so visualizing a real park helps lock the connection in.
Purple category: Blackjack Terms
The purple group is the trickiest: every word is a move or outcome in blackjack, the casino card game built around hitting 21.
- BUST – To exceed 21 and automatically lose the hand.
- HIT – To request another card.
- SPLIT – To divide a pair of identical-value cards into two separate hands.
- STAND – To stop taking cards and hold your current total.
Each of these is common in other contexts (“hit” in sports, “stand” as a verb, “bust” in slang), which makes this category easy to overlook unless you’re thinking in casino terms.
Today’s grid leans on familiar language but hides the hardest connection in plain sight with everyday verbs that double as blackjack calls. If you’ve made it this far, your streak is safe—and you have a clearer sense of how the puzzle grouped its 16 words into four neat themes.
