Spoiler warning: This guide reveals the answers to the NYT Connections puzzle released on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, puzzle No. 856. It is an archived puzzle—not the current daily game—so use the date above to make sure you are looking at the right board.
The key challenge in this grid is synonym overlap: ABSORB can look like it belongs with words related to summaries, while HOLD can suggest stopping or restraining something. The purple group uses a word transformation rather than a straightforward definition.
The 16 words in Connections No. 856
- STEM
- EASEL
- ABSORB
- DIGEST
- ANTHER
- REVIEW
- CHECK
- HARK
- BRIEF
- HOLD
- STAUNCH
- LAMA
- ENGAGE
- CURB
- OUTLINE
- OCCUPY
Hints for the October 14 Connections puzzle
Try these clues before reading the full solution:
- Yellow: Capture or hold someone’s attention.
- Green: A concise account of the key points.
- Blue: Stop, restrain, or bring something to a halt.
- Purple: Animal names after their first letter has been removed.
One-word reveals
If you need a little more help, one tile from each group is:
- Yellow: ENGAGE
- Green: OUTLINE
- Blue: CHECK
- Purple: HARK
NYT Connections answers for October 14, 2025
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | CAPTIVATE | ABSORB, ENGAGE, HOLD, OCCUPY |
| Green | SUMMARY | BRIEF, DIGEST, OUTLINE, REVIEW |
| Blue | HALT | CHECK, CURB, STAUNCH, STEM |
| Purple | ANIMALS MINUS STARTING LETTER | ANTHER, EASEL, HARK, LAMA |
How each group works
Yellow: CAPTIVATE — ABSORB, ENGAGE, HOLD, OCCUPY
Each of these words can describe capturing someone’s attention or interest. A film can absorb an audience, a subject can engage someone, a speaker can hold an audience’s attention, and an idea can occupy the mind.
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Green: SUMMARY — BRIEF, DIGEST, OUTLINE, REVIEW
These words can refer to a condensed account or restatement of important information. A brief summarizes a subject, a digest presents information in shortened form, an outline gives the main points, and a review can recap or summarize material.
Blue: HALT — CHECK, CURB, STAUNCH, STEM
All four can function as verbs meaning to stop, restrain, slow, or bring something under control. You can check a spread, curb an action, staunch a flow, or stem a rising problem.
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Purple: ANIMALS MINUS THEIR FIRST LETTER — ANTHER, EASEL, HARK, LAMA
Add one letter to the beginning of each tile and it becomes an animal:
- ANTHER + P = PANTHER
- EASEL + W = WEASEL
- HARK + S = SHARK
- LAMA + L = LLAMA
This is a word-manipulation category, not a group based on the meanings of the four tiles. That makes it a likely final solve once the semantic groups have been removed.
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The main traps in this puzzle
Why ABSORB does not belong with SUMMARY
ABSORB can mean to take in information, so it may initially seem related to BRIEF, DIGEST, OUTLINE, and REVIEW. But the stronger shared meaning is “capture attention,” matching ENGAGE, HOLD, and OCCUPY.
Why HOLD does not belong with HALT
HOLD can mean to stop or restrain something, which makes it tempting to place beside CHECK, CURB, STAUNCH, and STEM. In this board, however, it completes the more precise attention-related set: something can hold your attention.
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The safest way through the grid is to look for the strongest four-word relationship rather than accepting a connection that works for only one or two tiles. Once the attention group is removed, the summary and halt groups become much clearer, leaving the initial-letter animal trick for purple.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Want more Connections puzzles?
For readers who enjoyed this archived game and want to play away from a screen, the official NYT Connections puzzle book, Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay, is a relevant option. Simon & Schuster describes it as a hardcover collection curated by Wyna Liu, with more than 100 puzzles, exclusive puzzles, and a lay-flat format. It should be treated as a separate collection; there is no basis here to say it contains the October 14, 2025 daily puzzle.
The daily Connections game is free to play, while access to the NYT’s puzzle archive is available to subscribers. Availability and archive access can vary by account and region.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the NYT Connections answer on October 14, 2025?
The four categories were CAPTIVATE, SUMMARY, HALT, and ANIMALS MINUS STARTING LETTER. The groups were ABSORB, ENGAGE, HOLD, OCCUPY; BRIEF, DIGEST, OUTLINE, REVIEW; CHECK, CURB, STAUNCH, STEM; and ANTHER, EASEL, HARK, LAMA.
What animals are hidden in the purple group?
Adding a first letter creates PANTHER from ANTHER, WEASEL from EASEL, SHARK from HARK, and LLAMA from LAMA.
Is this the current NYT Connections puzzle?
No. This guide covers the archived Tuesday, October 14, 2025 puzzle, which was No. 856. Check the date before using the solution.
The Bottom Line
The October 14, 2025 Connections grid was built around three synonym groups—CAPTIVATE, SUMMARY, and HALT—plus a purple word trick that turns ANTHER, EASEL, HARK, and LAMA into animal names by adding their first letters.
Quick Recap
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