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Spoiler warning: NYT Connections #920 was the Wednesday, December 17, 2025 puzzle. The hints below are arranged from yellow through purple, followed by the complete solution and explanations.
Spoiler warning: This page gives graduated hints, the four categories, and the complete solution for NYT Connections #920, the Wednesday, December 17, 2025 puzzle. Stop before the next section if you are still solving.
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Hints for Connections #920
Here are the clues in the puzzle’s color order, from the easiest category to the most difficult:
- Yellow: These are boats or other watercraft moved by people rather than engines.
- Green: These words can describe something flush with a surface, without a rise or dip.
- Blue: These are models made by a Japanese automaker.
- Purple: Add one starting letter to each word to reveal biblical names.
If you want to see the full grid before checking the answers, the 16 words are:
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KAYAK, PILOT, PLANE, SHELL, EVEN, MADAM, TRUTH, CIVIC, LEVEL, FLUKE, ODYSSEY, DUGOUT, LABEL, RAFT, FLAT, ACCORD.
Connections #920 answers
Yellow: HUMAN-POWERED WATERCRAFT
DUGOUT, KAYAK, RAFT, SHELL
A dugout is a canoe-like boat made by hollowing out a log. A kayak is a small paddle-powered boat, while a raft is a buoyant platform or craft that can be propelled by people. A shell is a narrow rowing boat.
This group is harder than it may first appear because “shell” and “dugout” may not be familiar to every solver as watercraft terms. KAYAK can also seem like it might belong with the vehicle-related words, especially before PILOT is recognized as a Honda model.
Rank #2
Green: FLUSH
EVEN, FLAT, LEVEL, PLANE
In this category, flush means aligned with a surface or lacking a rise or dip. Even, flat, and level are the most direct matches. Plane is the less obvious entry: as an adjective, it can mean flat or level.
The words are deliberately broad enough to invite alternate groupings. PLANE, for example, can suggest an aircraft, while FLAT can have several unrelated meanings. The intended connection is the physical sense of something being even with a surface.
Blue: HONDA MODELS
ACCORD, CIVIC, ODYSSEY, PILOT
These are all Honda model names: the Accord, Civic, Odyssey, and Pilot. ACCORD and CIVIC are likely to stand out first because they are particularly familiar car names. ODYSSEY may initially look like a literary or travel reference, and PILOT may be mistaken for part of the watercraft group.
Once PILOT is identified as the fourth Honda, KAYAK is left for the human-powered watercraft category.
Purple: BIBLICAL FIGURES WITH A STARTING LETTER ADDED
FLUKE, LABEL, MADAM, TRUTH
The purple group uses a letter-addition trick. Remove the first letter from each answer and the remaining letters spell a biblical name:
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| Answer | Wordplay | Revealed name |
|---|---|---|
| FLUKE | F + LUKE | LUKE |
| LABEL | L + ABEL | ABEL |
| MADAM | M + ADAM | ADAM |
| TRUTH | T + RUTH | RUTH |
This is the category most likely to remain hidden until one or two examples click. FLUKE looks like an ordinary word—or possibly a reference to a fish—while LABEL, MADAM, and TRUTH do not naturally appear to form a group. The shared mechanism is more important than the surface meanings.
Why Connections #920 was tricky
The puzzle combines several types of misdirection:
- PILOT can sound like a boat-related word, but it belongs with Honda models.
- SHELL and DUGOUT are less immediately recognizable as watercraft than KAYAK and RAFT.
- PLANE can suggest an airplane, but here it means flat or level.
- FLUKE has familiar meanings unrelated to the purple category.
- LABEL and TRUTH look like ordinary nouns until the initial-letter pattern reveals ABEL and RUTH.
Some solvers also noticed tempting letter-pattern or palindrome-style distractions among the words. Those apparent patterns do not produce the intended four groups. The puzzle’s difficulty is subjective: it is reasonable to describe #920 as moderately challenging to hard, rather than assign it a definitive difficulty rating.
Complete grid at a glance
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Human-powered watercraft | DUGOUT, KAYAK, RAFT, SHELL |
| Green | Flush | EVEN, FLAT, LEVEL, PLANE |
| Blue | Honda models | ACCORD, CIVIC, ODYSSEY, PILOT |
| Purple | Biblical figures with a starting letter added | FLUKE, LABEL, MADAM, TRUTH |
Want more puzzles?
Readers who enjoy Connections may want an offline collection such as Puzzle Mania! New York Times Games book, the physical compilation Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! from The New York Times Games. It is a separate puzzle book rather than access to the daily online puzzle; availability and edition details can vary by retailer.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What are the answers to NYT Connections #920?
The four groups are human-powered watercraft (DUGOUT, KAYAK, RAFT, SHELL), flush (EVEN, FLAT, LEVEL, PLANE), Honda models (ACCORD, CIVIC, ODYSSEY, PILOT), and biblical figures revealed by removing the first letter (FLUKE, LABEL, MADAM, TRUTH).
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What is the purple category in Connections #920?
The purple words are FLUKE, LABEL, MADAM, and TRUTH. Removing their first letters gives LUKE, ABEL, ADAM, and RUTH.
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 is the green category in Connections #920?
The green category is FLUSH: EVEN, FLAT, LEVEL, and PLANE.
The Bottom Line
The solution to NYT Connections #920 is DUGOUT, KAYAK, RAFT, SHELL for human-powered watercraft; EVEN, FLAT, LEVEL, PLANE for flush; ACCORD, CIVIC, ODYSSEY, PILOT for Honda models; and FLUKE, LABEL, MADAM, TRUTH, which become LUKE, ABEL, ADAM, and RUTH after removing their initial letters.
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