MEDIUMPuzzle #859

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#859) – Today's Puzzle, Oct 17

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying USED DURING A PRESENTATION (CLICKER, LASER POINTER...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: October 17, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#858, Oct 16)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

CLICKER hint: In the context of used during a presentation, "CLICKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LASER POINTER hint: In the context of used during a presentation, "LASER POINTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PROJECTOR hint: In the context of used during a presentation, "PROJECTOR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SLIDES hint: In the context of used during a presentation, "SLIDES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FIGURINE hint: In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "FIGURINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KEY RING hint: In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "KEY RING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MAGNET hint: In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "MAGNET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POSTCARD hint: In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "POSTCARD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHICKEN LITTLE hint: In the context of folktale characters, "CHICKEN LITTLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

JACK hint: In the context of folktale characters, "JACK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THUMBELINA hint: In the context of folktale characters, "THUMBELINA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TOM THUMB hint: In the context of folktale characters, "TOM THUMB" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BEAUFORT SCALE hint: In the context of weather terms, "BEAUFORT SCALE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEWPOINT hint: In the context of weather terms, "DEWPOINT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HEAT INDEX hint: In the context of weather terms, "HEAT INDEX" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WIND CHILL hint: In the context of weather terms, "WIND CHILL" 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.

FIGURINE, KEY RING, MAGNET, POSTCARD

In today's medium category (ITEMS IN A SOUVENIR SHOP), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like FIGURINE, KEY RING, MAGNET, POSTCARD may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to ITEMS IN A SOUVENIR SHOP.

BEAUFORT SCALE, DEWPOINT, HEAT INDEX, WIND CHILL

The trickiest grouping today is "WEATHER TERMS". Words such as BEAUFORT SCALE, DEWPOINT, HEAT INDEX, WIND CHILL are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

CHICKEN LITTLE, JACK, THUMBELINA, TOM THUMB

Be careful with overlap between CHICKEN LITTLE, JACK, THUMBELINA, TOM THUMB and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "FOLKTALE CHARACTERS" 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: USED DURING A PRESENTATION (Straightforward) — Answers: CLICKER, LASER POINTER, PROJECTOR, SLIDES

Category: ITEMS IN A SOUVENIR SHOP (Medium) — Answers: FIGURINE, KEY RING, MAGNET, POSTCARD

Category: FOLKTALE CHARACTERS (Hard) — Answers: CHICKEN LITTLE, JACK, THUMBELINA, TOM THUMB

Category: WEATHER TERMS (Tricky) — Answers: BEAUFORT SCALE, DEWPOINT, HEAT INDEX, WIND CHILL

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

USED DURING A PRESENTATION

The words CLICKER, LASER POINTER, PROJECTOR, SLIDES all share a unique thematic connection as used during a presentation.

CLICKER

In the context of used during a presentation, "CLICKER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LASER POINTER

In the context of used during a presentation, "LASER POINTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PROJECTOR

In the context of used during a presentation, "PROJECTOR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SLIDES

In the context of used during a presentation, "SLIDES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ITEMS IN A SOUVENIR SHOP

The words FIGURINE, KEY RING, MAGNET, POSTCARD all share a unique thematic connection as items in a souvenir shop.

FIGURINE

In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "FIGURINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

KEY RING

In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "KEY RING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MAGNET

In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "MAGNET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POSTCARD

In the context of items in a souvenir shop, "POSTCARD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FOLKTALE CHARACTERS

The words CHICKEN LITTLE, JACK, THUMBELINA, TOM THUMB all share a unique thematic connection as folktale characters.

CHICKEN LITTLE

In the context of folktale characters, "CHICKEN LITTLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

JACK

In the context of folktale characters, "JACK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THUMBELINA

In the context of folktale characters, "THUMBELINA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TOM THUMB

In the context of folktale characters, "TOM THUMB" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WEATHER TERMS

The words BEAUFORT SCALE, DEWPOINT, HEAT INDEX, WIND CHILL all share a unique thematic connection as weather terms.

BEAUFORT SCALE

In the context of weather terms, "BEAUFORT SCALE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEWPOINT

In the context of weather terms, "DEWPOINT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HEAT INDEX

In the context of weather terms, "HEAT INDEX" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WIND CHILL

In the context of weather terms, "WIND CHILL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

FIGURINE, KEY RING, MAGNET, POSTCARD sit alongside CHICKEN LITTLE, JACK, THUMBELINA, TOM THUMB and phrases like BEAUFORT SCALE, DEWPOINT, HEAT INDEX, WIND CHILL — 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.