NYT Connections #853, published Saturday, October 11, 2025, groups its 16 words into EQUIPMENT, DRESS IN, STREET SUFFIXES, and NICKNAMES THAT HAVE OTHER MEANINGS. The complete spoiler answer is below; use the hints first if you are still solving.
Today’s Connections hints for October 11
Try these category clues before revealing the words:
- Yellow: Necessary items
- Green: Clothe oneself
- Blue: Types of residential road
- Purple: Names with several meanings
Connections #853 board
The 16 entries are:
ALLEY, SPORT, TACKLE, LANE, TOM, COURT, KIT, BOB, DON, BILL, WEAR, GEAR, PAT, WAY, PUT ON, STUFF.
PUT ON is the board’s only two-word entry.
Spoiler: NYT Connections answers for October 11
| Color | Category | Words | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | EQUIPMENT | GEAR, KIT, STUFF, TACKLE | All can mean equipment or necessary items. |
| Green | DRESS IN | DON, PUT ON, SPORT, WEAR | Each can describe putting on clothing. |
| Blue | STREET SUFFIXES | ALLEY, COURT, LANE, WAY | Each can appear as the ending of a residential street name. |
| Purple | NICKNAMES THAT HAVE OTHER MEANINGS | BILL, BOB, PAT, TOM | Each is a short personal name that also has an everyday meaning or use. |
How the groupings work
Yellow: EQUIPMENT
GEAR, KIT, STUFF and TACKLE are nouns for equipment, supplies or useful items. TACKLE is the trap: it can look like a verb before its equipment meaning becomes clear.
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Green: DRESS IN
DON, PUT ON, SPORT and WEAR all mean to dress in or have clothing on. SPORT and WEAR also function as ordinary verbs in many unrelated contexts, which can hide the shared clothing sense.
Blue: STREET SUFFIXES
ALLEY, COURT, LANE and WAY are familiar endings in residential road names. Their other associations can make this set less obvious than it first appears.
Purple: NICKNAMES THAT HAVE OTHER MEANINGS
BILL, BOB, PAT and TOM are short names that also refer to things or actions outside personal naming. DON and WAY may look name-like during the solve, but they belong in the clothing and street groups instead.
Traps to watch for
- TACKLE: Read it first as a verb and you may miss the equipment category.
- DON and WAY: Both can tempt you toward the nickname group, but DON means “put on” and WAY is a street ending here.
- COURT and ALLEY: Their sports, bowling or general-place meanings can distract from the street-suffix pattern.
- SPORT and WEAR: Their broad verb meanings are intentional misdirection; in this set they mean wearing clothing.
How difficult was Connections #853?
AllThingsHow gave this puzzle a tester rating of 1.8/5 in 2025. TechRadar called it “Easy” and reported a perfect solve. Those are individual editorial assessments, not an official New York Times difficulty statistic.
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What is NYT Connections?
Connections is a New York Times word game in which you sort 16 entries into four groups of four. Each group shares a hidden relationship, and the overlapping meanings are designed to create decoys. The puzzle discussed here is game #853, dated October 11, 2025.
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