NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, October 21 (game #863)

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My clues will help you solve the NYT's Connections puzzle today and keep that streak going

NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
(Image credit: New York Times)
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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, October 20 (game #862).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #863) - today's words

NYT Connections hints for game 863 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • BUCKS
  • DOES
  • BULLS
  • DRONES
  • QUEENS
  • HORNETS
  • ADDRESSES
  • TELEVISIONS
  • GARAGE DOORS
  • HANDLES
  • KINGS
  • JACKS
  • SPURS
  • ACES
  • TACKLES
  • WIIS

NYT Connections today (game #863) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: Leaders of the pack
  • GREEN: Getting involved
  • BLUE: Basketball sides
  • PURPLE: Use the zapper

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #863) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: PLAYING CARDS
  • GREEN: TAKES ON 
  • BLUE: N.B.A. TEAMS 
  • PURPLE: THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL WITH REMOTES

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #863) - the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 863 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #863, are…

  • YELLOW: PLAYING CARDS ACES, JACKS, KINGS, QUEENS
  • GREEN: TAKES ON ADDRESSES, DOES, HANDLES, TACKLES
  • BLUE: N.B.A. TEAMS BUCKS, BULLS, HORNETS, SPURS
  • PURPLE: THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL WITH REMOTES DRONES, GARAGE DOORS, TELEVISIONS, WIIS
  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 3 mistakes

I made a pig’s ear of my first group, making multiple mistakes despite having a good idea what we were looking for.

I was sure that BULLS and SPURS were basketball teams, but I was convinced that the KINGS were too. I wasn’t wrong – but they didn’t make the cut. I also added ACES, who are a WNBA team rather than an NBA team. 

I got there eventually, but it cost me three mistakes when there were far easier groups I could have focused on – PLAYING CARDS, for example, would have saved me a lot of time by eliminating ACES and KINGS.

It’s all designed to fox us I know, and I’m sure we should all beware of these exploits but I can’t help falling for these traps sometimes.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, October 20, game #862)

  • YELLOW: AFFLICTION BUGBEAR, COMPLEX, DEMON, HANG-UP
  • GREEN: REPRESENTED BY CONSTELLATIONS BIG BEAR, CENTAUR, HUNTER, LYRE
  • BLUE: PERIODIC TABLE SYMBOLS AS, BE, I, K
  • PURPLE: ____CORN A, CAPRI, POP, UNI

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Johnny Dee
Contributor

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.

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