NYT Connections Hints for November 12: Today’s Puzzle #885 Answers and Themes Revealed

Looking for help solving today’s NYT Connections for November 12, 2025? Puzzle #885 is here, and it’s packed with plenty of “O”-ending words that made solvers double-check their guesses. If you’re stuck, here’s a full breakdown of the hints and answers for all four color groups, including the official themes confirmed by The New York Times Games section.

The Nov. 12 puzzle challenged players with clever word associations across sports, slang, acronyms, and even Spanish terms. The categories were straightforward for some, but the purple group proved to be the tricky one once again.

Full Breakdown of NYT Connections Hints for November 12 (#885)

Each Connections puzzle includes 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four. Here are today’s hints, starting from the easiest (yellow) to the most difficult (purple):

• Yellow Group Hint: Games and competitions
• Green Group Hint: Dummy!
• Blue Group Hint: Letters that stand for something
• Purple Group Hint: En Español

Players noticed the “O” ending pattern across multiple words, which made identifying the right categories a fun but confusing challenge. Fortunately, careful observation revealed distinct groups tied together by logic rather than just spelling.

NYT Connections Answers for November 12, 2025

Here are the confirmed solutions and their official themes:

• Yellow Group – Sports: golf, judo, polo, sumo
• Green Group – Doofus: bozo, dodo, dope, yo-yo
• Blue Group – Acronyms: BOGO, FOMO, GOAT, YOLO
• Purple Group – Spanish Words: como, loco, poco, rojo

Each group offered a clever linguistic twist. The sports set was universally recognized, but the green “Doofus” set stood out for its humor, while the purple category stumped many who didn’t immediately recognize the Spanish connections.

Game Context and Difficulty Level

Players on social media described today’s Connections as “medium-hard,” mainly because of overlapping word endings. The blue “Acronyms” group was a favorite among solvers, highlighting modern slang and internet culture terms like FOMO and YOLO that have become everyday language.

The Times also introduced new gameplay tracking features recently, including the Connections Bot, which lets players analyze their performance, track streaks, and share results — similar to the popular Wordle format. This has boosted daily engagement across The New York Times Games platform.

In summary: The November 12 Connections (#885) balanced fun and challenge, mixing humor with cultural depth. Whether you spotted the Spanish twist early or struggled with the “dummy” group, this puzzle delivered the mix of logic and language play fans love.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What are today’s NYT Connections hints for November 12?

Today’s hints are: Games and competitions (yellow), Dummy! (green), Letters that stand for something (blue), and En Español (purple).

Q2: What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections #885?

Yellow: golf, judo, polo, sumo. Green: bozo, dodo, dope, yo-yo. Blue: BOGO, FOMO, GOAT, YOLO. Purple: como, loco, poco, rojo.

Q3: What was the hardest Connections group today?

The purple group was the hardest, themed “Spanish words.” Many players missed “poco” and “rojo” initially.

Q4: How many “O” ending words appeared in the puzzle?

Nearly all 16 words ended in “O,” creating a pattern that made sorting much trickier.

Q5: Where can I find tomorrow’s Connections hints?

Tomorrow’s puzzle hints and answers will be available through The New York Times Games section after midnight local time.