The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Spoiler warning: This page gives graduated hints first, followed by the complete solution for NYT Connections puzzle #868, published on Sunday, October 26, 2025. If you are working through the grid, stop before the answers section.
The puzzle’s four groups are kinds of instruments, words from a famous Muhammad Ali quote, kinds of contests, and words containing diminutive suffixes.
Today’s NYT Connections hints for October 26, 2025
Here are the clues from least to most specific:
- Yellow: Making music
- Green: As said by “The Greatest,” referring to Muhammad Ali
- Blue: Types of competition
- Purple: Smaller versions, grammatically
For a little extra help without revealing every answer, try these one-word nudges:
- Yellow: WIND
- Green: FLOAT
- Blue: BEAUTY
- Purple: DOGGY
The 16-word grid
The words in Connections #868 were:
BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING, BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, WIND, BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, TALENT, DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, and STARLING.
#1 Best Overall
NYT Connections answers for October 26, 2025
Yellow: Kinds of instruments
BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, WIND
These are broad families or classifications of musical instruments. Brass instruments produce sound through vibrating air in a metal mouthpiece, percussion instruments are struck or shaken, string instruments use vibrating strings, and wind instruments are played by moving air through or across them.
Green: Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote
BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING
This group refers to the famous boxing line associated with Muhammad Ali: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” The grid presents the four component words in the reverse order of the familiar phrase: BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING.
Blue: Kinds of contests
BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, TALENT
Each word forms a familiar phrase when followed by contest: beauty contest, popularity contest, staring contest, and talent contest.
Purple: Words with diminutive suffixes
DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, STARLING
This is the wordplay-heavy group. Each answer contains a suffix associated with a smaller form or diminutive:
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
- DOGGY contains -y.
- DROPLET contains -let, meaning a small version of something.
- KITCHENETTE contains -ette, often used for a smaller version.
- STARLING contains -ling, another diminutive-forming ending.
Some of these words are now commonly understood as complete, standalone words rather than newly formed diminutives. That is part of the category’s trick: the connection is grammatical and morphological rather than a set of ordinary phrases.
Why this Connections grid was tricky
STARLING, STARING, STRING, and STING look especially tempting together because they share many of the same letters. They are deliberately split across different categories:
- STARING belongs with contest types.
- STRING belongs with instrument families.
- STING belongs with the Muhammad Ali quote.
- STARLING belongs with the diminutive-suffix group.
A productive solve order is to start with the instrument families, since BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, and WIND make a relatively clean set. The Ali quotation is the next strong connection. BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, and TALENT then form the contest group, leaving the suffix-based purple category to be confirmed by elimination.
Want to play more Connections?
If you want to work on new puzzles rather than this historical October 26 grid, you can play Connections on the official NYT Games site. Access, subscription requirements, and availability can vary by region and by the New York Times account or product plan.
Recommended Free Tools
Best Value
Source note
The word list and solution for this historical puzzle are corroborated by multiple independent answer guides and archives, including Forbes, TechRadar, Parade, Try Hard Guides, and a historical Connections archive. The New York Times game page is the primary place to play the game, but the official page was not directly accessible during the research pass; this article therefore does not present the answer set as an official New York Times explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the answer to NYT Connections on October 26, 2025?
The four groups were Kinds of instruments—BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, and WIND; Words in a famous Muhammad Ali quote—BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, and STING; Kinds of contests—BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, and TALENT; and Words with diminutive suffixes—DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, and STARLING.
What was Connections puzzle #868?
Puzzle #868 was published on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Its categories were musical-instrument families, the Muhammad Ali “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” quotation, contest types, and diminutive suffixes.
Which NYT Connections answers referred to Muhammad Ali?
BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, and STING referred to the phrase “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” associated with Muhammad Ali.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe Bottom Line
Connections #868 separates several lookalike words into four distinct ideas: instrument families, a Muhammad Ali quotation, contest types, and diminutive suffixes. The most deceptive cluster is STARLING, STARING, STRING, and STING, which look alike but belong to four different solving paths.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
