A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #864
hints & answers for October 22, 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 22, 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 E, G, T and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ELECTRIC belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

UTILITIES

Reveal all four words
  • ELECTRIC
  • GAS
  • TELEPHONE
  • WATER

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FASHION belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ADAPT TO FIT ONE'S NEEDS

Reveal all four words
  • FASHION
  • MOLD
  • SHAPE
  • TAILOR

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ARMY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF ANTS

Reveal all four words
  • ARMY
  • CARPENTER
  • FIRE
  • PHARAOH

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

CAT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

COPY___

Reveal all four words
  • CAT
  • PASTA
  • RIGHT
  • WRITER

Each entry comes after "COPY" to form a word, expression or name: CAT → COPY CAT; PASTA → COPY PASTA; RIGHT → COPY RIGHT; WRITER → COPY WRITER.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: UTILITIES
  • Green: ADAPT TO FIT ONE'S NEEDS
  • Blue: KINDS OF ANTS
  • Purple: COPY___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

UTILITIES

ELECTRIC · GAS · TELEPHONE · WATER

Green

ADAPT TO FIT ONE'S NEEDS

FASHION · MOLD · SHAPE · TAILOR

Blue

KINDS OF ANTS

ARMY · CARPENTER · FIRE · PHARAOH

Purple

COPY___

CAT · PASTA · RIGHT · WRITER

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.