If you’re protecting a streak or stuck on the final set, here are clean hints and the complete breakdown for today’s NYT Connections puzzle (#887) for November 14.
NYT Connections #887 (Nov 14): category hints
- Yellow: ways to evaluate something
- Green: options involved when tuning radio audio
- Blue: action movie subgenres
- Purple: well-known ’90s action films
Tip: if words like speed and heat look like they belong together, that’s a decoy. They’re titles, not a shared property on their own.
NYT Connections #887 answer key (full categories)
| Color | Category | Words | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Evaluate | Grade, Judge, Rate, Review | All are verbs for assessing or appraising. |
| Green | Radio tuning options | Band, Channel, Frequency, Station | Each labels a selectable radio setting or parameter. |
| Blue | Action film subgenres | Buddy, Disaster, Martial Arts, Superhero | Common marketing and catalog terms for action types. |
| Purple | Classic ’90s action films | Armageddon, Hard Boiled, Heat, Speed | Notable releases from the 1990s. |
Why each group fits
- Evaluate: “grade,” “judge,” “rate,” and “review” are interchangeable in contexts like schoolwork, products, or performance.
- Radio tuning: listeners can choose a band (AM/FM), a frequency number, a station identity, or a channel label; all are ways to land on a broadcast.
- Action subgenres: “buddy,” “disaster,” “martial arts,” and “superhero” are umbrella categories used to classify action films.
- ’90s action films: Speed (1994), Heat (1995), Hard Boiled (1992), and Armageddon (1998) anchor the decade.
Common traps in #887
- Title lookalikes: “Speed” and “Heat” look like a neat pair; don’t group them by definition. They’re film titles, not a shared property.
- Number terms: “Rate” and “Frequency” suggest math—resist bundling them. One is about evaluation, the other about radio selection.
- Media overlap: “Channel” and “Station” can suggest TV; here they’re used in a radio context with “Band” and “Frequency.”
If you want to replay or share your grid, open today’s puzzle directly in Connections and use the built‑in share tool once you’ve finished.
