Play today’s Connections (official)
You can play today’s puzzle on the New York Times Games site at nytimes.com/games/connections. Spoilers follow below.
NYT Connections (Oct 9, 2025 — game #851) word list
| LIMESTONE | GORILLA | PHOTO | FIGMENT |
| FANCY | DATELINE | PLUMBER | SLATE |
| FICTION | PRINCESS | FLINT | CAPTION |
| MARBLE | LEDE | HEDGEHOG | INVENTION |
Hints for today’s groups (no spoilers)
- Yellow: All about things that aren’t real.
- Green: A set you’d sort out of a geology kit.
- Blue: Elements you’ll find in a news story layout.
- Purple: Names that headline classic video game titles.
One nudge per group:
- Yellow: FICTION
- Green: LIMESTONE
- Blue: DATELINE
- Purple: GORILLA
Category names (minor spoilers)
- Yellow: Fantasy
- Green: Kinds of rocks
- Blue: News article features
- Purple: Title figures in classic video games
Full answers for NYT Connections #851 (major spoilers)
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Fantasy | INVENTION, FANCY, FICTION, FIGMENT |
| Green | Kinds of rocks | FLINT, LIMESTONE, MARBLE, SLATE |
| Blue | News article features | CAPTION, DATELINE, LEDE, PHOTO |
| Purple | Title figures in classic video games | GORILLA, HEDGEHOG, PLUMBER, PRINCESS |
Tip: Lock in the tangible sets first. The rocks and the page layout terms group cleanly, which narrows the field for the “made up” words and the retro game headliners.
Connections: Sports Edition (Oct 9) — groups and answers
There’s also a sports-only variant you can play at nytimes.com/athletic/connections-sports-edition. Today’s groups and solutions:
| Color | Category | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Muscles, informally | ABS, PECS, QUADS, TRAPS |
| Green | L.A. football teams | CHARGERS, RAMS, UCLA, USC |
| Blue | Associated with Saquon Barkley | EAGLES, GIANTS, MADDEN COVER, PENN STATE |
| Purple | Lakers head coaches | HAM, REDICK, RILEY, WEST |
A new Connections and Sports Edition puzzle unlocks at midnight local time each day. If you’re preserving a streak, start with the most literal categories to reduce missteps before tackling trickier overlaps.
