NYT Connections Hints October 13, 2025: Check Clues and Answers to Solve Today’s Puzzle Game

The New York Times Connections is a daily word-grouping puzzle that asks players to divide 16 words into one of four themed groups. Each puzzle draws on our creative thinking and lateral association skills - some of the categories are readily apparent and others hide in more subtle ways. With colored difficulty levels (easy to hard), Connections is a satisfying blend of "I can do this!" and the "brain-bending" experience, rewarding the player with the occasional "aha!" moment and requiring a game-like experience of seeing how words, language, metaphor, and context weave together over time. It's become a fan-favorite word game for enjoyably pushing us both speed, as well as recognition of deeper patterns.

The NYT Connections puzzle for October 13, 2025, was an entertaining and skillfully balanced challenge that combined creativity with logic. Its categories included phrases used after a welcome departure, events often held at bars, metaphors for tense or risky situations, and phrases ending with words meaning “swindle.” This mix made the puzzle both fun and thought-provoking, some answers appeared quickly, while others required a bit of deeper reasoning. The October 13 edition stood out for its clever wordplay, engaging themes, and the satisfying blend of humor and insight that Connections fans look forward to every day.

Check Out: NYT Connections Hints October 12, 2025: Check Clues and Answers to Solve Today’s Puzzle Game

Hints for NYT Connections October 13, 2025  

NYT Connections Puzzle #856 creates a delightful mixture of simplicity and the right balance of difficulty, with a delightfully engaging blend of short, quick wins and deeper thinking. The mixture of simple clues and clever complexity is what keeps the games feeling original and engaging. Each time, the round feels meaningful and rewarding on all levels from beginning to end.

Yellow Group Hint: Expressions you might use when something (or someone) unwanted is finally gone.

Green Group Hint: Gatherings that might appear on a pub’s weekly schedule.

Blue Group Hint: Phrases describing situations best avoided, stir them up, and trouble follows.

Purple Group Hint: Titles or phrases that close with words meaning a scam, scheme, or con.

Stepping back will often expose the clever logic that provided the unifying. Let’s take a moment to go through the groups together, and explore the connections that tie these words together so nicely.

NYT Connections Answers for October 13, 2025 (Monday)

The New York Times Connections Puzzle #856 was a delightful and welcome experience; in perfect balance, it blended laughter, imagination, and intrigue. In every clue and the last connection, it held your focus based on clever design and understated charm. 

The way it combined logic, literacy, humor, and pop culture references in an enjoyable approach made it memorable. As a puzzle, it was intellectually stimulating and playful in entertainment; a wonderful balance of brainwork and entertainment.

YELLOW: WORDS AFTER A WELCOME DEPARTURE (ABOUT TIME, FINALLY, GOOD RIDDANCE, SAYONARA)

GREEN: BAR EVENTS (HAPPY HOUR, KARAOKE, LIVE MUSIC, TRIVIA NIGHT)

BLUE: METAPHORS FOR POTENTIALLY VOLATILE SITUATIONS (CAN OF WORMS, HORNET’S NEST, MINEFIELD, PANDORA’S BOX)

PURPLE: ENDING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SWINDLE" (AMERICAN HUSTLE, COMIC CON, GOLDEN FLEECE, LUCKY STIFF)

It’s perfectly fine if you don’t complete a Connections puzzle, or if you need to set it aside before reaching the solution.

What is the NYT Connections Game?

NYT Connections is a daily word game created by The New York Times that challenges users to discover connections among 16 randomly selected words. The objective is to group them into four groups of four words that belong together under a common theme, category, or association possibly drawn from references to pop culture or common patterns in language, or even wordplay patterns.

Colors are used to identify the type of difficulty of the four groups of words, from easy to tricky, testing both logic and lateral thinking. Unlike other words games like crossword or Wordle, Connections is more movement within pattern recognition with a more creative or lateral aspect of reasoning. Connections is efficient, engaging, and addicting - a recently different mental challenge of clever design and then satisfaction of "aha!" every day.

How to Play the NYT Connections Puzzle

When you participate in the NYT Connections puzzle, you'll be presented with a grid of 16 words. Your challenge is to split them into four groups of four words based on a common theme or connection,  i.e. a shared synonym, category of something, or a pop culture reference. Once you think you have a group, you select the four connected words and submit them.

If you guessed the correct four words, that group is locked in and you are left with the remaining words of the original 16. You get only four mistakes before the game ends, so don't rush your reasoning. The groups of words, share varying levels of difficulty from easy to somewhat tricky, therefore it makes for a highly entertaining puzzle of logic and intuition.

Best Strategies to Solve NYT Connections Puzzles

For effective completion of Times-Connections puzzles, initially start by surveying all 16 words to see if there are any clear links or themes. It's best to take the easy, obvious categories first, animals, colors, or countries, for example, before tackling the more difficult abstract themes. Be sure to check for synonyms, wordplay, or a cultural references that might be relevant.

Just as with the categories, watch for "trap" words that seem like they would fit into several categories; Times-Connections often relies on overlaps to confuse you! If you are struggling, try shuffling the grid and look for new patterns. Don't guess until your heart is in it; you are allowed only four mistakes! 

Other NYT Games to Explore

If NYT Connections has become your new favorite, check out other daily brain teasers and games from The New York Times. 

Wordle: Guess a five-letter word in six attempts. 

Spelling Bee: Craft as many words as possible from a set of seven letters.

Mini Crossword: For a quick wordplay, perfect for a coffee break.

That's all for today's NYT Connections puzzle! Be sure to come back tomorrow for NYT Connections Hints and Answers for October 14, 2025.