The New York Times Connections puzzle for Sunday, October 26, 2025, has been solved, and today’s categories and answers for game #868 are now confirmed. The daily word association challenge continues to engage puzzle enthusiasts across platforms, and today’s grid featured a mix of musical terms, famous quotes, and suffix-based wordplay. With difficulty rated at 4 out of 5, players relied heavily on hints to complete the puzzle.
Who: NYT Connections players worldwide What: Solved puzzle #868 with four distinct word categories When: October 26, 2025 Where: NYT Games platform Why: To complete the daily challenge and maintain streaks How: By identifying word groupings and using strategic hints.
Puzzle Breakdown
Today’s Connections puzzle divided 16 words into four categories, each color-coded by difficulty:
- KINDS OF INSTRUMENTS: BRASS, PERCUSSION, STRING, WIND
- WORDS IN A FAMOUS MUHAMMAD ALI QUOTE: BEE, BUTTERFLY, FLOAT, STING
- KINDS OF CONTESTS: BEAUTY, POPULARITY, STARING, TALENT
- WORDS WITH DIMINUTIVE SUFFIXES: DOGGY, DROPLET, KITCHENETTE, STARLING
Hints provided earlier in the day included “Used to make music” and “Related to bugs,” which helped players identify the yellow and green categories respectively. The purple category proved most difficult, requiring knowledge of suffixes that imply smallness or affection.
Quotes & Reactions
Puzzle analyst Jenna Marks of PuzzlePlay Weekly commented, “Today’s Connections puzzle was deceptively tricky. The Muhammad Ali quote category was a clever twist that caught many off guard.”
Meanwhile, NYT Games contributor Alex Chen tweeted, “Puzzle #868 was a masterclass in misdirection. The ‘STARING’ contest threw me off until the final round.”
Reddit’s r/Connections community saw a spike in discussion, with users praising the puzzle’s balance of logic and cultural references.
Impact Analysis: Strategy & Difficulty
Rated 4 out of 5 in difficulty, today’s puzzle challenged even seasoned solvers. The inclusion of suffix-based words like KITCHENETTE and STARLING required linguistic awareness beyond basic associations.
Players who used the Shuffle button and focused on simpler categories first — such as musical instruments — found greater success. The green category, referencing Muhammad Ali’s iconic quote “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” added a layer of pop culture that rewarded attentive players.
The puzzle reinforced the importance of strategic guessing, as Connections allows only four incorrect attempts before locking the board.
What’s Next: Upcoming Connections Challenges
Tomorrow’s puzzle (#869) will be released at midnight local time. Based on recent patterns, players can expect a thematic shift toward Halloween or seasonal motifs.
NYT Games is also expected to introduce new difficulty tracking features and streak badges for Connections in the coming weeks. Players are encouraged to check the NYT Games homepage daily for updates and new puzzle releases.
