NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, October 9

Connections is a new puzzle game from the New York Times that challenges you to group 16 words into four secret categories based on how they relate to one another. The puzzle refreshes every night at midnight, and as with Wordle, you can track your winning streak and compare your progress with friends. The difficulty can vary from day to day, so don’t worry if you need a little help!

How to Play NYT Connections

In each game, you’re presented with a grid of 16 words. Your goal is to organize these words into four sets of four by finding the common thread that connects them. These groups could be based on anything from video game franchises to shades of a color, or even types of food.

The trick is that many words might seem to fit more than one category, but there’s only one perfect solution. You can shuffle and rearrange the grid to see the potential connections more clearly.

Each group you identify is color-coded:

• Yellow (easiest)
• Green
• Blue
• Purple (hardest)

You get four chances to make mistakes before the game ends, so choose carefully! Once you think you’ve found a set of four related words, click “Submit.” If correct, those words are removed from the grid and the theme connecting them is revealed.

Hints for Today’s NYT Connections:

If you’re struggling to solve today’s puzzle, here are some helpful hints to get you started. We’ll reveal the four themes and give you one word from each group.

• Themes:
  • Effervescence
  • Burgeon
  • Music Publications
  • Words ending with tableware
• One-answer reveals:
  • Effervescence – BUBBLES
  • Burgeon – BLOSSOM
  • Music Publications – BILLBOARD
  • Ending with tableware – BOILERPLATE

Today’s NYT Connections Answers

If you’re still stuck, here are the full answers for today’s puzzle:

• Effervescence: BUBBLES, FIZZ, FOAM, FROTH
• Burgeon: BLOSSOM, DEVELOP, MATURE, PROGRESS
• Music Publications: BILLBOARD, MOJO, PITCHFORK, SPIN
• Ending with tableware: BOILERPLATE, BUTTERCUP, JACKKNIFE, WITHERSPOON

Each day’s Connections puzzle is different, so don’t get discouraged if you didn’t solve today’s! Check back tomorrow for a fresh challenge.