You get 16 tiles. Your job: sort them into four clean groups of four. If you want to play first, open the Connections game in the NYT Games app or on the web at nytimes.com/games/connections.

Today’s 16 words (October 6, #848)
FILMHAYSTACKTHREADPEA
TURNTABLETRENCHCAMELHAIKU
YEOMANPREAMPTAPEDUFFLE
SPEAKERWIREHELONIUMAMP

Spoiler‑light nudges for each group

  • Yellow — gear you’d set up before a record spins.
  • Green — outerwear styles you can have in a closet.
  • Blue — things sold or stored wound around a spool.
  • Purple — each starts with a sound that matches a greeting.

Category names and full answers

Warning: full spoilers below.

Group Category Words
🟨 Yellow Parts of a record player setup AMP, PREAMP, SPEAKER, TURNTABLE
🟩 Green Kinds of coats CAMEL, DUFFLE, PEA, TRENCH
🟦 Blue Things that come on spools FILM, TAPE, THREAD, WIRE
🟪 Purple Starting with homophones of greetings HAIKU (“hi”), HAYSTACK (“hey”), HELONIUM (“hello”), YEOMAN (“yo”)

Why these groupings fit

Parts of a record player setup: a typical vinyl chain runs from a TURNTABLE into a PREAMP (and/or integrated AMP) and out to a SPEAKER. These are the core pieces you’d expect in a basic listening rig.

Kinds of coats: DUFFLE (toggle‑front style), PEA (double‑breasted naval coat), TRENCH (belted, storm‑flap classic), and CAMEL (either the color or camel‑hair fabric, commonly a long overcoat) all name recognizable outerwear categories.

Things that come on spools: THREAD and WIRE are commonly sold wound onto spools; TAPE and photographic FILM are also dispensed or stored this way.

Starting with homophones of greetings: each word begins with a greeting sound—“hi” in HAIKU, “hey” in HAYSTACK, “hello” in HELONIUM, and “yo” in YEOMAN. The trick is in the ear, not the spelling.

Quick play refresher

  • Find four tight connections; avoid submitting until you’re sure none of the four belongs elsewhere.
  • Expect overlaps and decoys—especially with simple categories like clothing or materials.
  • When stuck, say the words out loud; sound‑based wordplay often reveals the purple set.

If you haven’t played yet, shuffle the board and start by securing one clean quartet. If you’re returning post‑solve, today’s grid was a tidy mix: hardware, apparel, materials, and one neat bit of phonetic misdirection.