Today’s Connections (game #853) is a relatively gentle grid with a tester rating of 1.8/5. If you want to solve it yourself, play on the official page first, then come back for hints or the complete answers.

Play Connections on the New York Times site

Today’s 16 words (game #853)

ALLEYSPORTTACKLELANE
TOMCOURTKITBOB
DONBILLWEARGEAR
PATWAYPUT ONSTUFF

Note: “PUT ON” appears as a two-word entry.

Category hints (light spoilers)

  • Yellow: Necessary items
  • Green: Clothe oneself
  • Blue: Types of residential road
  • Purple: Names with several meanings

Tip: If you’re stuck, try grouping the concrete terms first; abstract or multi-meaning words tend to anchor the tougher sets.

Full answers (spoilers)

Category Answer set
Yellow — EQUIPMENT GEAR, KIT, STUFF, TACKLE
Green — DRESS IN DON, PUT ON, SPORT, WEAR
Blue — STREET SUFFIXES ALLEY, COURT, LANE, WAY
Purple — NICKNAMES THAT HAVE OTHER MEANINGS BILL, BOB, PAT, TOM

Tricky overlaps to watch for

  • Names that double as common words: DON and WAY are also used as given names, which can pull them toward the purple set even though only one belongs there.
  • Equipment vs. action: TACKLE reads like a verb but sits with gear-related nouns here. Conversely, SPORT and WEAR are verbs in the clothing set.
  • Place terms with alternate readings: ALLEY, COURT, LANE, and WAY are the street endings; resist pairing COURT with SPORT or ALLEY with bowling until you confirm four true suffixes.

Quick notes

  • Difficulty: 1.8/5 (tester rating)
  • Theme balance: Concrete sets (equipment, street suffixes) make this a quick clear if you anchor those first.
  • Common pitfall: Over-indexing on “male names” as a group; only four nicknames qualify and they also carry everyday meanings.

If you’re protecting a streak, lead with the Blue or Yellow sets. Street endings lock in cleanly, and the equipment group is built from short, familiar nouns. Once those drop, the clothing verbs stand out, and the nickname set is the natural finish.