NYT Connections Answers for November 5, 2025: Hints, Categories, and Full Breakdown for Puzzle #878

The New York Times Connections puzzle for today brought a fun mix of themes that tested players’ wit and pattern-recognition skills. Puzzle #878 featured categories ranging from everyday phrases to music legends and pop-culture nods — making it a moderately challenging yet entertaining experience for word game fans.

Published early Wednesday, the latest NYT Connections offered four color-coded groups, each with its own unique theme. From classic board game clues to creative word associations, today’s puzzle struck a good balance between straightforward and tricky.

NYT Connections November 5, 2025 — Answers and Group Breakdown

🟡 Yellow Group – “Make a Hash Of”

This group centered on verbs meaning to ruin or spoil something.

Answers: Blow, Botch, Butcher, Spoil

🟢 Green Group – “Weapons in the Game Clue”

Inspired by the classic board game Clue, this category tested memory of its iconic murder weapons.

Answers: Candlestick, Knife, Rope, Wrench

🔵 Blue Group – “Iconic Soul Singers”

Music lovers enjoyed this one, featuring legendary soul performers.

Answers: (Anita) Baker, (Roberta) Flack, (Aretha) Franklin, (Gladys) Knight

🟣 Purple Group – “Rain ____”

This was the trickiest set of the day, focusing on phrases that complete “rain.”

Answers: Bow, Coat, Forest, Maker

Player Reactions and Highlights

Many players described today’s puzzle as slightly easier than usual, thanks to the recognizable Clue and Soul Singers themes. The “Rain ____” group, however, stumped several until they identified the phrase connection.

The recently introduced Connections Bot—similar to the popular Wordle Bot—has added new excitement, helping users track streaks, compare accuracy, and share results more competitively.

Tips to Improve Your NYT Connections Skills

Experts recommend three proven strategies to boost your solving streak:

Say words aloud — hearing them can reveal subtle patterns.

Avoid surface-level links — the editors often use clever misdirection.

Shuffle the board — rearranging helps reset your perspective when stuck.

Today’s puzzle rewarded careful thinking, a love for wordplay, and a dash of pop-culture awareness. For players who solved all four groups, it was another satisfying addition to their NYT Connections streak.