MEDIUMPuzzle #855

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#855) – Today's Puzzle, Oct 13

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying METAPHORS FOR POTENTIALLY VOLATILE SITUATIONS (CAN OF WORMS, HORNET’S NEST...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: October 13, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#854, Oct 12)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

Tap any word to see its Connections hint — what it means in today's puzzle, no spoilers.

CAN OF WORMS hint: In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "CAN OF WORMS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HORNET’S NEST hint: In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "HORNET’S NEST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MINEFIELD hint: In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "MINEFIELD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PANDORA’S BOX hint: In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "PANDORA’S BOX" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HAPPY HOUR hint: In the context of bar events, "HAPPY HOUR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KARAOKE hint: In the context of bar events, "KARAOKE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIVE MUSIC hint: In the context of bar events, "LIVE MUSIC" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TRIVIA NIGHT hint: In the context of bar events, "TRIVIA NIGHT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ABOUT TIME hint: "ABOUT TIME" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE ABOUT TIME".

FINALLY hint: "FINALLY" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE FINALLY".

GOOD RIDDANCE hint: "GOOD RIDDANCE" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE GOOD RIDDANCE".

SAYONARA hint: "SAYONARA" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE SAYONARA".

AMERICAN HUSTLE hint: In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "AMERICAN HUSTLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COMIC CON hint: In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "COMIC CON" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GOLDEN FLEECE hint: In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "GOLDEN FLEECE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LUCKY STIFF hint: In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "LUCKY STIFF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

Hints uncovered0 / 16

Today's NYT Connections Hints for All Four Categories

Reveal progressively: see the category hint first, then the group name, then individual words — stop whenever you have enough.

🟡 Straightforward

🟢 Medium

🔵 Hard

🟣 Tricky

⚠️Traps & Misdirects Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle

Today’s Connections puzzle includes words intentionally placed to misdirect you into wrong groups. These traps and misdirects hints reveal which words are designed to mislead, so you don’t burn your 4 allowed mistakes on deliberate decoys.

HAPPY HOUR, KARAOKE, LIVE MUSIC, TRIVIA NIGHT

In today's medium category (BAR EVENTS), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like HAPPY HOUR, KARAOKE, LIVE MUSIC, TRIVIA NIGHT may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to BAR EVENTS.

AMERICAN HUSTLE, COMIC CON, GOLDEN FLEECE, LUCKY STIFF

The trickiest grouping today is "ENDING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SWINDLE"". Words such as AMERICAN HUSTLE, COMIC CON, GOLDEN FLEECE, LUCKY STIFF are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

ABOUT TIME, FINALLY, GOOD RIDDANCE, SAYONARA

Be careful with overlap between ABOUT TIME, FINALLY, GOOD RIDDANCE, SAYONARA and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "WORDS AFTER A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to trap unsuspecting players into using up their 4 allowed mistakes.

Today's NYT Connections Answers

Click to reveal the complete solution — all four categories.

Category: METAPHORS FOR POTENTIALLY VOLATILE SITUATIONS (Straightforward) — Answers: CAN OF WORMS, HORNET’S NEST, MINEFIELD, PANDORA’S BOX

Category: BAR EVENTS (Medium) — Answers: HAPPY HOUR, KARAOKE, LIVE MUSIC, TRIVIA NIGHT

Category: WORDS AFTER A WELCOME DEPARTURE (Hard) — Answers: ABOUT TIME, FINALLY, GOOD RIDDANCE, SAYONARA

Category: ENDING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SWINDLE" (Tricky) — Answers: AMERICAN HUSTLE, COMIC CON, GOLDEN FLEECE, LUCKY STIFF

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

METAPHORS FOR POTENTIALLY VOLATILE SITUATIONS

The words CAN OF WORMS, HORNET’S NEST, MINEFIELD, PANDORA’S BOX all share a unique thematic connection as metaphors for potentially volatile situations.

CAN OF WORMS

In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "CAN OF WORMS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HORNET’S NEST

In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "HORNET’S NEST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MINEFIELD

In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "MINEFIELD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PANDORA’S BOX

In the context of metaphors for potentially volatile situations, "PANDORA’S BOX" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BAR EVENTS

The words HAPPY HOUR, KARAOKE, LIVE MUSIC, TRIVIA NIGHT all share a unique thematic connection as bar events.

HAPPY HOUR

In the context of bar events, "HAPPY HOUR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KARAOKE

In the context of bar events, "KARAOKE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIVE MUSIC

In the context of bar events, "LIVE MUSIC" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TRIVIA NIGHT

In the context of bar events, "TRIVIA NIGHT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WORDS AFTER A WELCOME DEPARTURE

The words ABOUT TIME, FINALLY, GOOD RIDDANCE, SAYONARA all share a unique thematic connection as words after a welcome departure.

ABOUT TIME

"ABOUT TIME" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE ABOUT TIME".

FINALLY

"FINALLY" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE FINALLY".

GOOD RIDDANCE

"GOOD RIDDANCE" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE GOOD RIDDANCE".

SAYONARA

"SAYONARA" follows "A WELCOME DEPARTURE" to form the common expression "A WELCOME DEPARTURE SAYONARA".

ENDING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SWINDLE"

The words AMERICAN HUSTLE, COMIC CON, GOLDEN FLEECE, LUCKY STIFF all share a unique thematic connection as ending with synonyms for "swindle".

AMERICAN HUSTLE

In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "AMERICAN HUSTLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COMIC CON

In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "COMIC CON" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GOLDEN FLEECE

In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "GOLDEN FLEECE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LUCKY STIFF

In the context of ending with synonyms for "swindle", "LUCKY STIFF" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

HAPPY HOUR, KARAOKE, LIVE MUSIC, TRIVIA NIGHT sit alongside ABOUT TIME, FINALLY, GOOD RIDDANCE, SAYONARA and phrases like AMERICAN HUSTLE, COMIC CON, GOLDEN FLEECE, LUCKY STIFF — a collision of distinct word groups and subtle misdirects.

The editor's sharpest trick is hiding a word-within-a-word: some of the multi-word phrases are not grouped by their topic but by what their first word secretly means.

How to Use Connections Hints

Everyone playing NYT Connections puzzle gets stuck at a different point. Some players can’t figure out a single word. Others have three groups solved and can’t find the fourth. Where you are stuck determines which connection hint you need.

A word in the puzzle has an unfamiliar meaning

Some words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle are uncommon. Connections editor Wyna Liu often uses words with specific or less familiar meanings, particularly in the green, blue, and purple categories. If you don’t know what a word means, you cannot reliably place it in a group.

Recommendation: Use the Word Hint. It tells you what the word means in the context of today’s puzzle. Tap any word directly on the board above to see its hint.

No groups are forming after reading all sixteen words

The connection between words is often not obvious from their meanings alone — categories are built around themes that require a specific angle to see. These category-level clues are the most useful hints.

Recommendation: Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a category without revealing the category name or which words belong to it. Tap “Yellow Category Hint” first.

You have a possible group but aren’t ready to guess

You think four words belong together but you’re not confident enough to guess. If you’re unsure, don’t guess yet — a wrong guess costs you one of your four mistakes.

Recommendation: Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of the category without showing you which words belong to it.

One word seems to fit more than one group

You have built a group of four words but one word in it could also fit somewhere else. NYT Connections editor Wyna Liu deliberately places misleading words on the board.

Recommendation: Use the Traps and Misdirects Hints. It identifies the specific misleading words in today’s puzzle and explains why they don’t belong where you think they do.

You know the category but can’t find all four words

You have identified the theme of a category but can’t find all four words that belong to it.

Recommendation: Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one masked word at a time without revealing the full group. This is the most precise connection hint available.

One mistake left with two groups unsolved

You have one mistake remaining and two groups unsolved. If you guess wrong here, the game ends and NYT reveals all the answers automatically.

Recommendation: Do not guess yet. Use the Category Name for both remaining groups first. If that is still not enough, tap “Category Words” and reveal one word at a time.

You want today’s answers without solving the puzzle

Use the Answers section. It shows all four category names and the four words that belong to each one.

Recommendation: Go to the Answers section.

The puzzle is over but a category still doesn’t make sense

You can see the four groups and their words but the connection between them isn’t clear.

Recommendation: Use the Answer Explanation. It tells you exactly what connects the words in each category and why each individual word belongs there.

Browse Past Puzzles

View answers and hints for every previous NYT Connections puzzle.

Puzzle Archive →

Frequently Asked Questions

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle by The New York Times where you group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. Each category has a hidden theme color-coded by difficulty.

Yellow is the most straightforward category, Green is medium difficulty, Blue is harder, and Purple contains the trickiest, most misleading groupings.

Yes, NYT Connections is free to play once per day on the New York Times Games website.

A new NYT Connections puzzle releases every day at midnight in your local time zone (12:00 AM ET for US Eastern Time).

Naveed Ahmed

@NaveedAhmedDev•@naveedcolab

Lead Writer & Connections Puzzle Analyst

Naveed is a dedicated puzzle strategist and word game analyst who breaks down daily NYT Connections categories, uncovers tricky wordplay patterns, and delivers progressive, spoiler-free clues to help thousands of players solve every puzzle.