Spoiler warning: This guide gives progressively stronger hints before revealing the complete solution to NYT Connections #888, played on Saturday, November 15, 2025. The 16 words divide into groups involving food, punctuation, acting, and phrases ending in “zone.”
How to play NYT Connections
Connections presents 16 words. Your task is to sort them into four groups of four, with each group sharing a connection. The categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is usually the most straightforward, followed by green, blue, and purple. The puzzle is designed to include misleading overlaps, so a word that seems to fit one group may belong elsewhere.
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If you want to play before seeing the answers, stop after the word list or use only the progressive hints below.
The 16 words in Connections #888
- TWILIGHT
- SEASON
- FILM
- PERIOD
- STAGE
- SLASH
- TIME
- METHOD
- SALT
- COMFORT
- DASH
- FLAVOR
- CHARACTER
- COLON
- BUFFER
- SPICE
One-word hints
These are the least revealing clues—one word from each group:
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- Yellow: SEASON
- Green: SLASH
- Blue: STAGE
- Purple: COMFORT
Category hints
- Yellow: These can make food taste better.
- Green: These are punctuation marks.
- Blue: These describe kinds or approaches to acting.
- Purple: These words can come before “zone.”
NYT Connections #888 answers for November 15
Yellow: Enhance the taste of
FLAVOR, SALT, SEASON, SPICE
These words can describe adding to or improving the taste of food. “Season” and “spice” are especially direct matches. “Salt” works as both a noun and a verb, while “flavor” can also be used as a verb.
Green: Punctuation marks
COLON, DASH, PERIOD, SLASH
Each of these words names a punctuation mark. The traps are their other meanings: a period can mean a span of time, a dash can describe a quick movement, and a slash is also commonly used as a verb or ordinary noun.
Blue: Kinds of acting
CHARACTER, FILM, METHOD, STAGE
Complete each word with the implied idea of acting: character acting, film acting, method acting, and stage acting. This group is harder because “character” and “stage” have many unrelated meanings, while “film” and “method” need the phrase “acting” mentally added to them.
Purple: ___ zone
BUFFER, COMFORT, TIME, TWILIGHT
Each word forms a familiar phrase when placed before “zone”: buffer zone, comfort zone, time zone, and The Twilight Zone. This is the most phrase-based group, so it may be easier to spot after the other three categories have been removed.
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The main source of misdirection was the cluster of time-related words. “Period” can suggest time, while “season,” “twilight,” and “time” may initially look like they belong together. In the finished grid, however, TIME belongs with the words that precede “zone,” and PERIOD belongs with the punctuation marks.
Several words also have broad everyday meanings. “Stage” can refer to a phase or platform, “character” can mean a person in a story, and “dash” can describe an action. Connections relies on this kind of ambiguity: the intended group becomes stronger only when all four words complete the same pattern.
Want more puzzles?
If you enjoyed the category-matching format, a printed Connections puzzle book offers additional puzzles in book form. It is separate from the daily puzzle and should not be assumed to contain Connections #888 unless the specific edition says so.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What is the answer to Connections #888 on November 15, 2025?
The groups are FLAVOR, SALT, SEASON, SPICE for food flavorings; COLON, DASH, PERIOD, SLASH for punctuation marks; CHARACTER, FILM, METHOD, STAGE for kinds of acting; and BUFFER, COMFORT, TIME, TWILIGHT for words preceding “zone.”
What was the purple category in Connections #888?
The purple category was “___ zone,” with BUFFER, COMFORT, TIME, and TWILIGHT.
Best Value
- Find hundreds of words in an easy to read format - Some words you'll spot easily, but you'll have to search hard for others.
- A wide range of puzzle topics, including movies, actors, sports, cars, and more!
- Variations on the standard word search puzzles are included for extra challenge.
- Answer key in the back of the book.
- Spiral bound, 192 pages.
What was the most difficult group in the November 15 Connections puzzle?
The purple group was the most wordplay-oriented. It requires recognizing phrases ending in “zone,” including buffer zone, comfort zone, time zone, and The Twilight Zone.
The Bottom Line
The November 15, 2025, Connections puzzle (#888) grouped its words into food flavor enhancers, punctuation marks, kinds of acting, and phrases ending in “zone.”
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