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Spoiler warning: This guide starts with the full board and gentle category nudges. The complete groups and answers appear below a clearly marked spoiler heading.
The Connections #859 board
The Friday, October 17, 2025 puzzle asks you to sort these 16 words into four groups of four:
TOM THUMB · MAGNET · CLICKER · JACK · POSTCARD · HEAT INDEX · WIND CHILL · LASER POINTER · KEY RING · CHICKEN LITTLE · THUMBELINA · FIGURINE · SLIDES · BEAUFORT SCALE · PROJECTOR · DEWPOINT
Hints for each group
Try these nudges before looking at the full solution. Connections uses colors to indicate relative difficulty, with yellow the easiest group and purple the hardest, according to TechRadar’s game description.
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- One group is made up of tools used during a presentation.
- One group contains things you might bring home from a trip.
- One group consists of characters from folktales.
- One group is made up of weather and meteorology terms.
One example from each group
If you want a slightly stronger nudge, the four examples are SLIDES, KEY RING, THUMBELINA, and DEWPOINT.
Full answers for Connections #859
Spoilers below.
- Yellow — Used During a Presentation: CLICKER, LASER POINTER, PROJECTOR, SLIDES.
- Green — Items in a Souvenir Shop: FIGURINE, KEY RING, MAGNET, POSTCARD.
- Blue — Folktale Characters: CHICKEN LITTLE, JACK, THUMBELINA, TOM THUMB.
- Purple — Weather Terms: BEAUFORT SCALE, DEWPOINT, HEAT INDEX, WIND CHILL.
Why the groups can be easy to mix up
The board includes several words that invite tempting associations. TOM THUMB and THUMBELINA share “thumb,” but they belong with the other folktale characters, not in a body-part group. The weather words are also all related, but the intended set is the four specific terms listed above. A TechRadar contributor noted that knowing the Beaufort scale measures wind force helped him solve this puzzle; that is one solver’s explanation, not a universal requirement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the hints without spoiling the solve
- Read the board once and look for clear clusters of four.
- Use the broad category nudges without opening the answer section.
- If you are close but stuck, use the example words to identify one group.
- Check the spoiler section only when you want the complete solution.
Connections #859 is the October 17, 2025 game. For the Times’ game destination, see NYT Games: Connections.
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