A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #860
hints & answers for October 18, 2025

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows October 18, 2025. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, C, F and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BREEZE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

GLIDE

Reveal all four words
  • BREEZE
  • COAST
  • FLOAT
  • SKATE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, H, P and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DODGE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORTS

Reveal all four words
  • DODGE
  • HAND
  • PICKLE
  • RACQUET

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, C, C and F. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BACON belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PROLIFIC ACTORS

Reveal all four words
  • BACON
  • CAGE
  • CRUISE
  • FORD

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, H, P and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CELL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "VEND"

Reveal all four words
  • CELL
  • HOCK
  • PEDAL
  • TRAYED
Show categories only
  • Yellow: GLIDE
  • Green: WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORTS
  • Blue: PROLIFIC ACTORS
  • Purple: HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "VEND"

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

GLIDE

BREEZE · COAST · FLOAT · SKATE

Green

WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORTS

DODGE · HAND · PICKLE · RACQUET

Blue

PROLIFIC ACTORS

BACON · CAGE · CRUISE · FORD

Purple

HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "VEND"

CELL · HOCK · PEDAL · TRAYED

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.