The New York Times daily puzzle Connections challenges players to group sixteen words into four categories of four. Today’s puzzle (#873), released on October 31st, is a visual one, using images instead of text. The theme centers around Halloween-costume-adjacent concepts. Here’s a breakdown of the solution, with hints for those who prefer to solve independently.
Today’s Puzzle Breakdown
The puzzle is designed with difficulty in mind. The Times now offers a bot to analyze player performance, tracking completion rates, streaks, and perfect scores for registered users. For those who want a hint before diving in:
- Yellow Group: “And it was just right.” This refers to the story of Goldilocks.
- Green Group: “Dancing at the ball.” The answer here is Cinderella.
- Blue Group: “I yam what I yam.” The connection? Popeye.
- Purple Group: “Wokka-wokka!” This one alludes to Ms. Pac-Man.
The Full Solution
Here are the four groups and their corresponding words:
- Goldilocks: bear, bed, chair, porridge
- Cinderella: mouse, pumpkin, slipper, wand
- Popeye: anchor, cap, pipe, spinach
- Ms. Pac-Man: bow, cherries, ghost, pellets
Past Difficulties
The Connections puzzle has seen particularly challenging iterations in the past. Some notable examples include puzzles that required abstract thinking:
- Puzzle #5: Grouped “things you can set,” like mood, record, table, and volleyball.
- Puzzle #4: Used “one in a dozen,” including egg, juror, month, and rose.
- Puzzle #3: Focused on “streets on screen” (Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame).
- Puzzle #2: Challenged players with “power ___” (nap, plant, Ranger, trip).
- Puzzle #1: Tested players with “things that can run” (candidate, faucet, mascara, nose).
These examples demonstrate how the puzzle consistently requires lateral thinking and familiarity with a range of cultural references.
Solving Connections often relies on recognizing obscure connections or cultural touchstones, making it a uniquely challenging daily puzzle.
