Connections Hint November 18 2025 Today’s Puzzle Clues and Answers
Connections is one of the most popular word games from The New York Times—and it’s easy to see why. Just like Wordle, it resets every day at midnight with a brand-new challenge. The goal? Find the hidden connections hint today between groups of words. Sounds simple, but it gets trickier every day.
If you’re stuck, you’re not alone. That’s why we’ve put together some helpful Connections hints to guide you. Whether you’re a beginner or trying to keep your streak going, these clues and tips will help you figure it out—without giving everything away.
What Is Connections?
Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times that challenges your ability to uncover hidden relationships between words. The objective is to find four sets of four words that are connected by a common theme. These connections can be thematic, structural, or more nuanced—such as common phrases or cultural references.
Daily Connections Games Hints & Answers
We also help our users decode Wordie and Strands daily word-guessing games.
Scroll slowly! I’ll first give you a list of today’s words, then a hint for each category. After that, I’ll reveal one word that goes into each group. Then I’ll tell you the category names, followed by the full answers.
Today’s 16 words are…
- TABOO
- SLAM DUNK
- GO-GETTER
- SURE THING
- SHOO-IN
- SCATTERGORIES
- OKEY-DOKE
- PROSCRIBED
- ALLEY-OOP
- ABSOLUTELY
- VERBOTEN
- FADEAWAY
- OFF-LIMITS
- LEAVENING
- FINGER ROLL
- OF COURSE
NYT Connections Hints
And the hints for today’s Connections groups are:
- 🟨 Yellow group — or as a certain Oscar-winning actor might say, “all right, all right, all right”
- 🟩 Green group — nope, no way, uh-uh, no can do
- 🟦 Blue group — you can’t pull all of these off from downtown. Maybe in the paint?
- 🟪 Purple group — “left” is where to pay attention and also the result of following said instructions
NYT Connections Hints – One Answer Per Group
Need some extra help?
Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory.
Let’s take a look at one answer for each group.
Here we go…
- 🟨 Yellow group — ABSOLUTELY
- 🟩 Green group — PROSCRIBED
- 🟦 Blue group — FINGER ROLL
- 🟪 Purple group — SCATTERGORIES
Today’s Connections groups are…
- 🟨 Yellow group — “you bet”
- 🟩 Green group — forbidden
- 🟦 Blue group — basketball shots
- 🟪 Purple group — starting with synonyms for “scram!”
Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers.
This is your last chance to look away.
This is your final warning!
Today’s Connections answers are…
- 🟨 Yellow group — “you bet” (ABSOLUTELY, OF COURSE, OKEY-DOKE, SURE THING)
- 🟩 Green group — forbidden (OFF-LIMITS, PROSCRIBED, TABOO, VERBOTEN)
- 🟦 Blue group — basketball shots (ALLEY-OOP, FADEAWAY, FINGER ROLL, SLAM DUNK)
- 🟪 Purple group — starting with synonyms for “scram!” (GO-GETTER, LEAVENING, SCATTERGORIES, SHOO-IN)
Lots of interesting interplay going on today! At the outset I figured that SLAM DUNK could go with either ALLEY-OOP or SURE THING, but realized the latter could also be one of the “positive response” phrases. Likewise, TABOO could have gone with SCATTERGORIES in a group of board games, but seemed more likely to fit with the “banned” terms. I ended up getting the yellows, then the greens.
ALLEY-OOP, SLAM DUNK and FADEAWAY all had to be basketball shots at that point. FINGER ROLL seemed like the best fit for the fourth term, but I wasn’t sure. But that was right(!) and I got the blues.
That left the purples for the win. I presumed at that point that they all started with words meaning “to depart,” (go, leave, scatter and shoo). I sort of got that group by default, but at least I more or less figured out the connection before sealing the deal.
A regular rainbow for me today as I extended my winning streak to 261 wins. How did you get on today?
Here’s my grid:
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
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How To Play NYT Connections?
Connections is one of the most popular (and often tricky) daily puzzle games published by the New York Times, the same folks behind Wordle.
The goal of Connections is to sort the 16 words of the day into four groups of four, with each group sharing a common theme.
For example, the words “Hook”, “Nana”, “Peter”, and “Wendy” are all characters from Peter Pan. Another example would be “Action”, “Ballpark”, “Go”, and “Stick”—each commonly appears before the word Figure.
Your task is to identify the correct themes that link the words together—but be cautious, as misleading red herrings are deliberately included to confuse you!
To win, you must find all four Connections before making four mistakes. If you hit a fourth error, the game ends and the solution is revealed.
Each group in the daily Connections puzzle is also color-coded based on difficulty:
Yellow (Easiest)
Green (Easy)
Blue (Medium)
Purple (Hardest)
Click here to play today’s Connections puzzle!
Forbes emphasizes authentic networking by advising professionals to build genuine relationships rather than accumulating contacts. Key strategies include offering value before seeking favors, engaging in meaningful conversations, and maintaining consistent follow-up. Utilizing platforms like LinkedIn, attending industry events, and nurturing connections over time are also recommended to foster long-term professional growth. Nyt Connections hints Forbes
Mashable’s “Connections Hint Today” feature provides daily insights into building meaningful digital relationships. It emphasizes authenticity, encourages active engagement, and highlights the importance of leveraging digital platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. By offering practical advice, Mashable helps individuals enhance their online presence and build a robust network that supports personal and professional growth.
Today’s Wordle features a five-letter word that starts with “S” and ends with “D.” It contains two of the five vowels and has no repeated letters. A subtle hint: “Good and plenty.” The answer is “SQUAD.”
Stuck on today’s NYT Strands Hint puzzle? Here’s a helpful hint: the spangram is vertical, so keep your eyes peeled for a word running top to bottom. If you’re still having trouble finishing the grid, don’t worry — we’ve got an extra clue and today’s full list of answers to help you wrap it up. Whether you’re aiming to solve it solo or just need a little nudge, everything you need is right here.
How to Solve the NYT Connections Puzzle ?
In the NYT Connections puzzle, you’re given 16 words to group into four sets of four, each sharing a common theme. Think of categories like colors, tools, or slang.
Look for clear connections, and test groupings carefully—you’re allowed up to four mistakes. As you solve, each correct group is marked by color from easiest (Yellow) to hardest (Purple). Strong pattern recognition and a bit of trivia knowledge will help you succeed.
What is Connections by The New York Times?
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle where you’re given a grid of 16 words. Your task is to group them into four sets of four, with each group sharing a hidden common theme. It’s similar to the childhood game Categories, but instead of using a starting letter, you focus on spotting connections between words.
You can make up to four mistakes before the game ends. When you correctly identify a group, the game reveals its difficulty level by color: Yellow (easiest), Green, Blue, and Purple (hardest). The challenge lies in finding subtle or unexpected links between the words.
More New York Times Games