MEDIUMPuzzle #884

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#884) – Today's Puzzle, Nov 11

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying MAKEUP (BLUSH, FOUNDATION...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: November 11, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#883, Nov 10)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

BLUSH hint: In the context of makeup, "BLUSH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FOUNDATION hint: In the context of makeup, "FOUNDATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HIGHLIGHTER hint: In the context of makeup, "HIGHLIGHTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POWDER hint: In the context of makeup, "POWDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

EXTENT hint: In the context of breadth, "EXTENT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RANGE hint: In the context of breadth, "RANGE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

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

SCOPE hint: In the context of breadth, "SCOPE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BASE hint: In the context of object used for support, "BASE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HOLDER hint: In the context of object used for support, "HOLDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

REST hint: In the context of object used for support, "REST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STAND hint: In the context of object used for support, "STAND" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COMPASS hint: In the context of icons on an iphone, "COMPASS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ENVELOPE hint: In the context of icons on an iphone, "ENVELOPE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MUSIC NOTES hint: In the context of icons on an iphone, "MUSIC NOTES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPEECH BUBBLE hint: In the context of icons on an iphone, "SPEECH BUBBLE" 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.

EXTENT, RANGE, SCALE, SCOPE

In today's medium category (BREADTH), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like EXTENT, RANGE, SCALE, SCOPE may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to BREADTH.

COMPASS, ENVELOPE, MUSIC NOTES, SPEECH BUBBLE

The trickiest grouping today is "ICONS ON AN IPHONE". Words such as COMPASS, ENVELOPE, MUSIC NOTES, SPEECH BUBBLE are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

BASE, HOLDER, REST, STAND

Be careful with overlap between BASE, HOLDER, REST, STAND and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "OBJECT USED FOR SUPPORT" 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: MAKEUP (Straightforward) — Answers: BLUSH, FOUNDATION, HIGHLIGHTER, POWDER

Category: BREADTH (Medium) — Answers: EXTENT, RANGE, SCALE, SCOPE

Category: OBJECT USED FOR SUPPORT (Hard) — Answers: BASE, HOLDER, REST, STAND

Category: ICONS ON AN IPHONE (Tricky) — Answers: COMPASS, ENVELOPE, MUSIC NOTES, SPEECH BUBBLE

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

MAKEUP

The words BLUSH, FOUNDATION, HIGHLIGHTER, POWDER all share a unique thematic connection as makeup.

BLUSH

In the context of makeup, "BLUSH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FOUNDATION

In the context of makeup, "FOUNDATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HIGHLIGHTER

In the context of makeup, "HIGHLIGHTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POWDER

In the context of makeup, "POWDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BREADTH

The words EXTENT, RANGE, SCALE, SCOPE all share a unique thematic connection as breadth.

EXTENT

In the context of breadth, "EXTENT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RANGE

In the context of breadth, "RANGE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SCALE

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

SCOPE

In the context of breadth, "SCOPE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

OBJECT USED FOR SUPPORT

The words BASE, HOLDER, REST, STAND all share a unique thematic connection as object used for support.

BASE

In the context of object used for support, "BASE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HOLDER

In the context of object used for support, "HOLDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

REST

In the context of object used for support, "REST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STAND

In the context of object used for support, "STAND" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ICONS ON AN IPHONE

The words COMPASS, ENVELOPE, MUSIC NOTES, SPEECH BUBBLE all share a unique thematic connection as icons on an iphone.

COMPASS

In the context of icons on an iphone, "COMPASS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ENVELOPE

In the context of icons on an iphone, "ENVELOPE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MUSIC NOTES

In the context of icons on an iphone, "MUSIC NOTES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPEECH BUBBLE

In the context of icons on an iphone, "SPEECH BUBBLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

EXTENT, RANGE, SCALE, SCOPE sit alongside BASE, HOLDER, REST, STAND and phrases like COMPASS, ENVELOPE, MUSIC NOTES, SPEECH BUBBLE — 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.