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NYT Connections puzzle #686 was published on Sunday, April 27, 2025. The puzzle asks you to divide 16 words into four groups of four, with each group sharing a common connection.
Need a nudge before seeing the answers? Start with the hints below. The complete groups appear farther down the page behind a second spoiler warning.
Broad hint
Grab some snacks, a TI-89 calculator, and a new hairdo before heading to IKEA.
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That sentence points toward calculator controls, terms for amounts or arrangements of hair, salty snack brands or formats, and words that can follow Swedish.
The 16 words
Here is the complete grid for the April 27, 2025, puzzle:
- MASSAGE
- TIMES
- RUFFLE
- FISH
- PERCENT
- SHOCK
- MEATBALL
- GOLDFISH
- COMBO
- LOCK
- EQUALS
- THATCH
- CHEF
- MINUS
- TUFT
- TAKI
NYT Connections hints for April 27
These are the four category hints, listed from the yellow group through the purple group:
- Yellow: Buttons or functions found on a calculator
- Green: Terms describing amounts or arrangements of hair
- Blue: A salty-snack unit or brand-style snack serving
- Purple: Each word can follow “Swedish”
Spoiler warning: answers below
The complete groups and explanations are below. Stop here if you are still solving.
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Yellow: Calculator buttons
EQUALS, MINUS, PERCENT, TIMES
These are all familiar calculator buttons or arithmetic-operation controls. “Equals” completes a calculation, “minus” represents subtraction, “percent” handles percentages, and “times” represents multiplication.
Green: Amounts or arrangements of hair
LOCK, SHOCK, THATCH, TUFT
A lock is a strand or group of hair, while a tuft is a small bunch. A shock can mean a thick or abundant mass of hair, and thatch can describe a dense covering of hair.
Blue: Salty snack brands or snack terms
COMBO, GOLDFISH, RUFFLE, TAKI
Goldfish, Ruffles and Takis point to recognizable packaged salty snacks; “Combo” points to the snack brand and its filled-cracker products. The grid uses singular forms such as Ruffle and Taki, even though the familiar brand names are generally written as Ruffles and Takis.
Purple: Swedish _____
CHEF, FISH, MASSAGE, MEATBALL
Each word follows “Swedish” to form a familiar phrase or name: Swedish Chef, Swedish Fish, Swedish massage and Swedish meatball.
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Rank #3
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Why this puzzle can be tricky
The puzzle relies on ordinary words that fit more than one possible interpretation. FISH may look like it belongs with the snack clues because Swedish Fish is a candy, while MEATBALL may initially seem like a general food word. Both belong in the “Swedish” group.
TIMES and MINUS also become much clearer once the calculator category is identified. The purple category is relatively direct, but it is easy to overlook while testing food-related combinations.
Which April 27 puzzle is this?
This answer page is for Sunday, April 27, 2025, game #686. It is not the puzzle from Monday, April 27, 2026, which was game #1051. If you are searching from a different year, check the weekday and game number before using these answers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which NYT Connections puzzle is this?
This page covers Sunday, April 27, 2025, NYT Connections game #686. April 27, 2026, fell on a Monday and was a different puzzle, game #1051.
What were the Connections categories for April 27, 2025?
The four categories are calculator buttons or functions; amounts or arrangements of hair; salty snack brands or snack terms; and words that can follow “Swedish.”
What were the NYT Connections answers on April 27, 2025?
The answers were EQUALS, MINUS, PERCENT and TIMES; LOCK, SHOCK, THATCH and TUFT; COMBO, GOLDFISH, RUFFLE and TAKI; and CHEF, FISH, MASSAGE and MEATBALL.
The Bottom Line
The April 27, 2025, Connections answers are EQUALS, MINUS, PERCENT, TIMES; LOCK, SHOCK, THATCH, TUFT; COMBO, GOLDFISH, RUFFLE, TAKI; and CHEF, FISH, MASSAGE, MEATBALL.
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