MEDIUMPuzzle #901

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#901) – Today's Puzzle, Nov 28

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying FITTING (FAIR, JUST...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: November 28, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#900, Nov 27)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

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

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

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

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

BEAT hint: In the context of achieve victory over, "BEAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BEST hint: In the context of achieve victory over, "BEST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAKE hint: In the context of achieve victory over, "TAKE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WORST hint: In the context of achieve victory over, "WORST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FRET hint: In the context of an electric guitar, "FRET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PEG hint: In the context of an electric guitar, "PEG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PICKUP hint: In the context of an electric guitar, "PICKUP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STRING hint: In the context of an electric guitar, "STRING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

INTONATION hint: In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "INTONATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LOUDNESS hint: In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "LOUDNESS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RHYTHM hint: In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "RHYTHM" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STRESS hint: In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "STRESS" 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.

BEAT, BEST, TAKE, WORST

In today's medium category (ACHIEVE VICTORY OVER), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like BEAT, BEST, TAKE, WORST may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to ACHIEVE VICTORY OVER.

INTONATION, LOUDNESS, RHYTHM, STRESS

The trickiest grouping today is "PHONETIC ELEMENTS OF SPEECH". Words such as INTONATION, LOUDNESS, RHYTHM, STRESS are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

FRET, PEG, PICKUP, STRING

Be careful with overlap between FRET, PEG, PICKUP, STRING and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "PARTS OF AN ELECTRIC GUITAR" 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: FITTING (Straightforward) — Answers: FAIR, JUST, PROPER, RIGHT

Category: ACHIEVE VICTORY OVER (Medium) — Answers: BEAT, BEST, TAKE, WORST

Category: PARTS OF AN ELECTRIC GUITAR (Hard) — Answers: FRET, PEG, PICKUP, STRING

Category: PHONETIC ELEMENTS OF SPEECH (Tricky) — Answers: INTONATION, LOUDNESS, RHYTHM, STRESS

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

FITTING

The words FAIR, JUST, PROPER, RIGHT all share a unique thematic connection as fitting.

FAIR

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

JUST

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

PROPER

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

RIGHT

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

ACHIEVE VICTORY OVER

The words BEAT, BEST, TAKE, WORST all share a unique thematic connection as achieve victory over.

BEAT

In the context of achieve victory over, "BEAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BEST

In the context of achieve victory over, "BEST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAKE

In the context of achieve victory over, "TAKE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WORST

In the context of achieve victory over, "WORST" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PARTS OF AN ELECTRIC GUITAR

The words FRET, PEG, PICKUP, STRING all share a unique thematic connection as parts of an electric guitar.

FRET

In the context of an electric guitar, "FRET" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PEG

In the context of an electric guitar, "PEG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PICKUP

In the context of an electric guitar, "PICKUP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STRING

In the context of an electric guitar, "STRING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PHONETIC ELEMENTS OF SPEECH

The words INTONATION, LOUDNESS, RHYTHM, STRESS all share a unique thematic connection as phonetic elements of speech.

INTONATION

In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "INTONATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LOUDNESS

In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "LOUDNESS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RHYTHM

In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "RHYTHM" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STRESS

In the context of phonetic elements of speech, "STRESS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

BEAT, BEST, TAKE, WORST sit alongside FRET, PEG, PICKUP, STRING and phrases like INTONATION, LOUDNESS, RHYTHM, STRESS — 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.