Spoilers ahead: NYT Connections puzzle #873, for Friday, October 31, 2025, groups its words around Goldilocks, Cinderella, Popeye and Ms. Pac-Man. If you want to solve it first, use the spoiler-safe hints below; the full sets and explanations follow.
Spoiler-safe hints for Connections #873
Each hint points toward a theme without giving away all four words in a group. One suggested word from each category is included as a nudge.
- Yellow: A fairy tale about finding what is “just right.” Nudge: BED.
- Green: A rags-to-ball transformation. Nudge: MOUSE.
- Blue: A seafaring strongman whose strength is tied to a leafy green. Nudge: PIPE.
- Purple: An arcade character associated with pellets and fruit, and known for wearing a bow. Nudge: BOW.
Connections #873 answers
The four reported categories and word sets are:
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Goldilocks | BEAR, BED, CHAIR, PORRIDGE |
| Green | Cinderella | MOUSE, PUMPKIN, SLIPPER, WAND |
| Blue | Popeye | ANCHOR, CAP, PIPE, SPINACH |
| Purple | Ms. Pac-Man | BOW, CHERRIES, GHOST, PELLETS |
Why the words belong together
Yellow: Goldilocks
BEAR, BED, CHAIR and PORRIDGE evoke the story of Goldilocks, who enters the bears’ home and tries their food, chairs and beds.
Green: Cinderella
MOUSE, PUMPKIN, SLIPPER and WAND point to familiar Cinderella motifs: the mice, the pumpkin carriage, the lost slipper and the fairy godmother’s magic.
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Blue: Popeye
ANCHOR, CAP, PIPE and SPINACH are associated with Popeye, the sailor whose spinach-fueled strength is central to the character.
Purple: Ms. Pac-Man
BOW, CHERRIES, GHOST and PELLETS are elements associated with Ms. Pac-Man: her bow, fruit, ghosts and the pellets eaten through the maze.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Board wording and difficulty
The listed board contains GHOST, PUMPKIN, BOW, BED, ANCHOR, BEAR, MOUSE, CHERRIES, CHAIR, PELLETS, SLIPPER, CAP, PIPE, PORRIDGE, SPINACH and WAND. One published transcription calls the last item “MAGIC WAND,” but the answer lists use “WAND”; that is the wording used in the solution above.
All Things How reported a difficulty rating of 2.3 out of 5, attributing it to its testers. This is a third-party rating, not an official NYT statistic. The standard format, as described by Insider Gaming, asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four with four guesses.
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