NYT Connections Hints and Answers for November 21, 2025, #895

Happy Friday, puzzle pals! Today's a day for cozying up with a hot drink and sharpening those brain cells. Speaking of which, I found myself in a whirlwind of a family text thread this morning. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with everyone talking at once, but hey, chaos can be fun, right? Just like tackling those colorful tiers in today's Connections puzzle!

As the haze outside matches the fog in my brain from all the back-and-forth messages, I'm reminded of how important it is to stay focused when untangling those word webs. Remember to scan for loose synonyms and watch out for those sneaky cross-category decoys. Trust me, they're like hidden puzzles within the puzzle!

So, are you ready to dive into today's challenge and connect the dots? Let's embrace the mystery, follow the clues, and piece it all together. If you ever need a hint or just want to share a breakthrough, feel free to jump in! Let's make this Friday a day of puzzling triumph. Let's do this!

How to Play NYT Connections

Overview

Connections is a daily word puzzle game from The New York Times. The goal is to find groups of four words that share something in common. You’re presented with 16 words arranged in a 4×4 grid, and you must identify four groups of four related words.

Basic Rules

• You have 16 words total, arranged in a 4×4 grid
• There are exactly 4 groups of 4 related words each
• Each word belongs to exactly one group
• You must find all four groups to complete the puzzle
• You have 4 mistakes allowed before the game ends

How to Play

• Look at all 16 words and try to identify patterns or connections
• Select 4 words you think belong together by clicking/tapping them
• Click “Submit” to check if your group is correct
• If correct, those 4 words will be removed and grouped together
• If incorrect, you lose one of your 4 allowed mistakes
• Continue until you find all 4 groups or run out of mistakes

Difficulty Levels

The four groups are color-coded by difficulty:

• 🟨 YELLOW: Easiest – usually straightforward categories
• 🟩 GREEN: Easy-Medium – slightly more complex connections
• 🟦 BLUE: Medium-Hard – trickier associations or wordplay
• 🟪 PURPLE: Hardest – often involves puns, multiple meanings, or very subtle connections

Strategy Tips

• Start with the most obvious connections first
• Be careful of red herrings – words that seem to fit multiple categories
• If you’re unsure, try to eliminate what doesn’t belong first
• The purple group often involves wordplay, homophones, or very creative connections
• Don’t guess randomly – you only have 4 mistakes

Scoring

• Complete the puzzle to see your results
• Mistakes are tracked but don’t affect your final score
• Share your results with friends using the share button
• Results show how many mistakes you made for each group