NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, October 18 (game #860)

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NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, October 17 (game #859).

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.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #860) - today's words

NYT Connections hints for game 860 on a purple background

Today's NYT Connections words are…

HAND
HOCK
PEDAL
SKATE
BACON
CELL
PICKLE
CAGE
DODGE
COAST
FORD
BREEZE
CRUISE
RACQUET
FLOAT
TRAYED

NYT Connections today (game #860) - hint #1 - group hints

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

YELLOW: Slip sliding away
GREEN: Add a word that rhyme with “hall”
BLUE: Notable Hollywood icons
PURPLE: Sound like words used in retail

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 #860) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: GLIDE
GREEN: WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORTS
BLUE: PROLIFIC ACTORS
PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "VEND"

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #860) - the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 860 on a purple background

The answers to today's Connections, game #860, are…

YELLOW: GLIDE BREEZE, COAST, FLOAT, SKATE
GREEN: WORDS BEFORE "BALL" IN SPORTS DODGE, HAND, PICKLE, RACQUET
BLUE: PROLIFIC ACTORS BACON, CAGE, CRUISE, FORD
PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "VEND" CELL, HOCK, PEDAL, TRAYED

My rating: Hard
My score: Perfect

Every one of these groups was a lucky solve for me, starting with PROLIFIC ACTORS.

I initially thought that BACON might have something to do with food or pork products but in conjunction with CRUISE I guessed that acting was the link.

Incidentally, I am sure there will be some who agree that while the other stars are prolific, Tom CRUISE has made far fewer movies than he could have – most years we only get one chance to see him sprinting away from an explosion – so does he really belong in this quartet?

GLIDE I got, really because I just thought the words looked good together and WORDS BEFORE “BALL” IN SPORTS because I thought the connection was trickery. The thing is, whether you know it or fudge it the result is still the same.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, October 17, game #859)

YELLOW: USED DURING A PRESENTATION CLICKER, LASER POINTER, PROJECTOR, SLIDES
GREEN: ITEMS IN A SOUVENIR SHOP FIGURINE, KEY RING, MAGNET, POSTCARD
BLUE: FOLKTALE CHARACTERS CHICKEN LITTLE, JACK, THUMBELINA, TOM THUMB
PURPLE: WEATHER TERMS BEAUFORT SCALE, DEWPOINT, HEAT INDEX, WIND CHILL

What is NYT Connections?

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.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.

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