October 23 Connections Hints and Answers: NYT Puzzle #865 Explained

The New York Times Connections puzzle for October 23, 2025, has once again challenged word-game enthusiasts with tricky word associations and subtle misdirection. If you struggled to find the correct groups today, you’re not alone. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the hints, group themes, and final answers for today’s Connections puzzle #865.

The latest edition saw players stumble over common baby-animal-related words like “kitty” and “ducky,” but the real trick was how these terms were categorized differently. Below, you’ll find the clues, color-coded group themes, and the full set of solutions.

Connections Puzzle #865 — Hints for Each Group

Today’s NYT Connections included four distinct groups, each color-coded by difficulty. Here are the official hints provided for the October 23 puzzle:

• Yellow group hint: Awesome!
• Green group hint: Cash out!
• Blue group hint: Medalists use these.
• Purple group hint: Groceries go in here.

While some players found the yellow and green groups straightforward, the blue and purple sets tested more advanced associative thinking. The purple group, in particular, drew confusion for its mix of seemingly unrelated words that all end with “bag.”

Final Answers for October 23, 2025 — NYT Connections #865

Yellow Group (Peachy): dandy, ducky, fine, swell
These are all cheerful or upbeat adjectives that describe something “great” or “excellent.”

Green Group (Winnings): kitty, pot, prize, purse
Each of these relates to money or rewards collected from a game, bet, or contest.

Blue Group (Pieces of Olympic Sports Equipment): ball, birdie, puck, stone
All are objects used in major Olympic sports — from hockey to curling to badminton.

Purple Group (____ Bag): doggy, go, mixed, swag
The most challenging category of the day — these are all phrases that complete with “bag.”

Why Puzzle #865 Stood Out

Today’s Connections puzzle highlighted how overlapping meanings can trick even seasoned solvers. For instance, “ducky” could have fit into the “baby animals” idea, but its actual group was emotional tone — “Peachy.”

Players who approached the puzzle with flexibility and association-based logic were more likely to identify correct matches early. Many online players rated this puzzle as “moderately hard,” with most losing lives on the purple section.

Recent Tough NYT Connections Examples

Here are a few of the hardest puzzles noted by fans in recent weeks:

• “Things You Can Set” – mood, record, table, volleyball
• “One in a Dozen” – egg, juror, month, rose
• “Streets on Screen” – Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame
• “Power ___” – nap, plant, Ranger, trip
• “Things That Can Run” – candidate, faucet, mascara, nose

As of October 23, puzzle #865 continues the streak of witty and layered wordplay, keeping NYT Connections one of the most addictive daily word challenges available.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What were the Connections answers for October 23?

The answers were: Peachy (dandy, ducky, fine, swell), Winnings (kitty, pot, prize, purse), Olympic equipment (ball, birdie, puck, stone), and ____ bag (doggy, go, mixed, swag).

Q2: What was the hardest group in today’s puzzle?

The purple group — “____ bag” — was the hardest, as players often failed to spot the connection between the four words.

Q3: What is NYT Connections?

Connections is a daily New York Times puzzle where players must find four groups of related words. It tests pattern recognition and lateral thinking.

Q4: How does the difficulty ranking work?

Each color reflects difficulty — Yellow (easy), Green (medium), Blue (hard), and Purple (tricky or unexpected).

Q5: When is the next Connections puzzle released?

New Connections puzzles drop daily at midnight Eastern Time on the NYT Games platform.