NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, October 27 (game #869)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Sunday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, October 26 (game #868).

Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

NYT Connections today (game #869) – hint #1 – group hints

What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?

GREEN: Minimal
BLUE: Beverage adornments
PURPLE: Add the number after three
YELLOW: Exude expansively

Need more clues?

We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #869) – the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 869 on a purple background — (Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Connections, game #869, are…

GREEN: IN THE SLIGHTEST JUST, MERELY, ONLY, SIMPLY
BLUE: COCKTAIL GARNISHES CHERRY, MINT, OLIVE, TWIST
PURPLE: ___FOUR CONNECT, FAB, FANTASTIC, PETIT
YELLOW: EMANATE BRANCH, FAN, RADIATE, SPREAD

My rating: Hard
My score: 1 mistake

Today’s Connections features an insider joke/apology on the top line paying homage to Only Connect, the British quiz show whose format is uncannily similar to this 16-grid puzzle game and which preceded it by approximately 15 years. The tiles OLIVE and BRANCH possibly suggest an acknowledgement? A debate to be continued elsewhere.

Anyway, I digress. Onwards with edition 869…

I was on the right track with IN THE SLIGHTEST, but guessed PETIT instead of ONLY. Meanwhile, in an odd turn of events I managed to see ___ FOUR, and a second tribute to an iconic game, while the yellow/easiest group flew way above my head.

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don’t technically need to solve the final one, as you’ll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What’s more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It’s a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.