NYT Connections Hints for October 26: Today’s Puzzle #868 Answers and Groups Revealed

Today’s NYT Connections hints for October 26 have arrived, helping players crack puzzle No. 868 for Sunday. The word-association game from The New York Times brought a mix of playful and nostalgic categories this time, including one that even made Gen X players smile. If you struggled to link the final few words, here’s the full breakdown of today’s clues, categories, and answers.

The puzzle challenged solvers with themes ranging from musical terms to Muhammad Ali’s famous quote. According to multiple puzzle enthusiasts and reviewers, today’s game leaned on cultural trivia rather than pure word logic, making it fun but slightly tricky for casual players.

Full Breakdown of NYT Connections #868 for October 26

The NYT Connections puzzle for October 26 included four groups — yellow, green, blue, and purple — each linked by a unique theme. Players had to find the connections among sixteen words, organizing them into correct categories before running out of mistakes.

Here’s how the groups broke down:

• Yellow Group (Easy): Kinds of instruments — Brass, Percussion, String, Wind.
• Green Group (Medium): Words from Muhammad Ali’s quote — Bee, Butterfly, Float, Sting.
• Blue Group (Harder): Kinds of contests — Beauty, Popularity, Staring, Talent.
• Purple Group (Tricky): Words with diminutive suffixes — Doggy, Droplet, Kitchenette, Starling.

Players who started with the yellow and green categories often advanced quickly. The blue and purple ones tripped up many, especially with misleading words that could fit into more than one category.

Player Reactions and Difficulty Level

Players described today’s puzzle as “balanced but sneaky,” with the purple group standing out as the most challenging. Many found the Ali-inspired green group to be the most enjoyable, bringing a nostalgic nod to the iconic “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” quote. The instrument category was straightforward, giving a quick win to start the day’s puzzle streak.

The Times’ newly launched Connections Bot continues to attract interest, allowing users to track their daily streaks, analyze scores, and compare accuracy. Fans appreciate that the bot now offers feedback similar to Wordle’s system, making the experience more data-driven and social.

For players following both Connections and Wordle, today’s pair offered a good balance — one logical and the other nostalgic.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What are today’s NYT Connections hints for October 26?

The hints include Music, The Greatest, Time to compete, and Teeny tiny — representing each color group respectively.

Q2: What is the NYT Connections game?

Connections is a daily word association puzzle by The New York Times where players must group 16 words into four sets based on shared themes.

Q3: How many mistakes are allowed in NYT Connections?

Players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends. Once all groups are solved, the puzzle is complete.

Q4: What was the hardest category in today’s puzzle?

Most players found the purple group hardest because the diminutive suffixes like -let and -ling were easy to overlook.

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

The New York Times updates its Connections puzzle and hints daily in the Games section.