NYT Connections Answers: The New York Times’ daily puzzle, Connections, dropped its November 5 challenge today, and it gave players a good mix of logic, pop culture, and a few tricky words. As always, the goal was to sort 16 words into four hidden groups based on their common themes. While some patterns stood out right away, others took a bit more thinking.
Just like Wordle, Connections refreshes every day, keeping fans hooked with its clever wordplay and sneaky traps. If you found today’s puzzle confusing, don’t worry, here are all the hints and the full solution to help you see how it fits together.
What Is Connections & How Do You Play?
Connections is a daily word game from The New York Times. It gives you 16 words, and your task is to group them into four sets of four. Each group shares a hidden theme. The challenge? Many words look like they belong together when they actually don’t!
For example, “Hook,” “Nana,” “Peter,” and “Wendy” are all Peter Pan characters. Or take “Action,” “Ballpark,” “Go,” and “Stick,” which all come before the word “Figure.”
You only get four chances before the puzzle ends and the answers are revealed. Each group also has a colour to show how tough it is:
- Yellow (easiest)
- Green (easy)
- Blue (medium)
- Purple (hardest)
Connections may look simple, but they often hide clever links that make players second-guess themselves until the final reveal.
Hints & Full Solution To NYT Connections (November 5)
Here are today’s official hints:
- Yellow: It’s ruined!
- Green: They may be found at a crime scene.
- Blue: Look for famous people.
- Purple: Add something wet.
Extra hints:
- One theme is about music, another about a natural sound.
- Only one theme doesn’t have a word starting with “B.”
Here’s one word from each group to give you a little help:
- Yellow: Spoil
- Green: Knife
- Blue: Baker
- Purple: Maker
Full Solution For November 5 (Puzzle #877)
- Yellow (Make a Hash of): Blow, Botch, Butcher, Spoil
- Green (Weapons in the Game Clue): Candlestick, Knife, Rope, Wrench
- Blue (Iconic Soul Singers): Baker, Franklin, Flack, Knight
- Purple (Rain ___): Bow, Coat, Forest, Maker
Today’s puzzle was a clever one. The “soul singers” group stood out for players who caught on to names like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. The “crime scene” set was a fun nod to the board game Clue, while the “Rain ___” group added a nice natural twist.
The “Make a Hash of” theme was the trickiest; words like “Blow” and “Botch” made it easy to second-guess your picks. Overall, it was a creative and satisfying challenge to start the week.


