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NYT Connections #908, for Friday, December 5, 2025, uses several familiar words in deliberately misleading ways. The safest opening is to identify the four tabletop games, then separate phrases ending in “talk” from words describing something difficult to handle.
Spoiler warning: The full groups and answers appear below the hints.
Hints for Connections #908
Here are the category clues without giving away the individual answers:
- Yellow: Difficult or complicated
- Green: A situation or set of circumstances
- Blue: Classic tabletop games
- Purple: Words that can precede “talk”
More specific clues
- The blue group contains four recognizable game titles, including one involving a code-breaking challenge.
- Four words can be placed directly before talk. One describes conversation between lovers, while another means flattering or persuasive speech.
- The yellow answers can describe something hard to manage. Do not interpret “sticky” only in its physical sense.
- The last four words can all refer to the circumstances, condition or current reality of something.
Connections #908 answers
The puzzle’s four groups are:
| Color | Category | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| 🟨 Yellow | Tricky | COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY, TOUGH |
| 🟩 Green | State of affairs | DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS, STORY |
| 🟦 Blue | Classic board games | MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION, SORRY |
| 🟪 Purple | “_____ Talk” | BABY, PILLOW, SMALL, SWEET |
🟦 Classic board games: MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION, SORRY
These four are the most direct entry point. Mastermind is the code-breaking game, Mousetrap is the contraption-building game, Operation involves removing a patient’s ailments and Sorry! is the race-to-homeboard game.
Strictly speaking, Mastermind is a tabletop game rather than a conventional board game. In the context of this puzzle, however, it belongs with the other classic boxed games.
🟪 “_____ Talk”: BABY, PILLOW, SMALL, SWEET
Each answer forms a familiar phrase when followed by talk:
Rank #2
- baby talk
- pillow talk
- small talk
- sweet talk
This group is easy to miss because sweet and sticky can both suggest something sugary. The word sweet is needed here; sticky belongs to the yellow group.
🟨 Tricky: COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY, TOUGH
These adjectives can describe a problem, task or situation that is difficult to deal with:
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- a complex problem
- a delicate matter
- a sticky situation
- a tough decision
The likely trap is sticky. It can refer to adhesive material, but “a sticky situation” means an awkward or difficult one. Delicate can also mean fragile, yet it works here as something requiring careful handling.
🟩 State of affairs: DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS, STORY
The remaining words describe what is happening or the current condition of something:
- What’s the deal? asks about the circumstances or arrangement.
- A situation is a set of surrounding circumstances.
- Status describes a current condition or standing.
- What’s the story? can ask for an account of what is going on.
How to solve this grid without giving away too much
- Scan for proper game names. MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION and SORRY form a strong set of four. Submitting them first removes several distractions.
- Test repeated phrase endings. Try placing TALK after the remaining words. BABY, PILLOW, SMALL and SWEET all produce standard expressions.
- Read adjectives in context. COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY and TOUGH are not identical synonyms, but each can qualify a difficult matter.
- Use the leftovers. DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS and STORY all work as ways to discuss the state of affairs.
- Check for a false connection before submitting. SWEET and STICKY may look like a pair because of their food-related meanings. The phrase test separates them cleanly: sweet talk is established, while “sticky talk” is not.
If you are playing in the NYT Games interface, you can select four tiles and press Submit. A wrong guess uses one of your four mistakes, so a plausible group is worth testing only after each word has a defensible connection to the same category.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.FAQ
What is the yellow group in Connections #908?
The yellow group is TRICKY: COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY and TOUGH.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →What is the blue group in Connections #908?
The blue group is classic board or tabletop games: MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION and SORRY.
Which Connections #908 answers go before “talk”?
BABY, PILLOW, SMALL and SWEET form baby talk, pillow talk, small talk and sweet talk.
What is the green group in Connections #908?
The green group is STATE OF AFFAIRS: DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS and STORY.
Quick Recap
The Bottom Line
For Connections #908, begin with the four classic games, then spot the four “talk” phrases. The remaining words divide into difficult-to-handle descriptions and terms for a state of affairs. The main traps are STICKY, which means difficult in “sticky situation,” and SWEET, which belongs with TALK.
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