Every morning, as the clock strikes midnight in each time zone, a new challenge lands on the digital doorstep of word game enthusiasts around the globe: the New York Times’ Connections puzzle. On November 29, 2025, players woke up to the 902nd edition of this increasingly popular brain teaser, with both The New York Times and TechRadar offering eager solvers a helping hand—and perhaps a little camaraderie for those moments of frustration.
For those unfamiliar, Connections is a clever twist on the word game genre, requiring players to group sixteen seemingly unrelated words into four categories. Each set is united by a hidden theme, and the categories themselves range in difficulty, color-coded from yellow (the easiest) to purple (the hardest). As TechRadar explains, "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 this particular Saturday, the puzzle’s words were: BUST, SPLIT, TREE, TRUNK, RELIEF, PIGEON, STAND, STATUE, COVER, TORSO, SUBSTITUTE, CORE, MIDSECTION, BACKUP, BENCH, and HIT. At first glance, the list reads like a jumble of nouns and verbs with no obvious connection. But therein lies the fun—and sometimes the agony—of Connections.
According to the New York Times’ own puzzle companion, the November 29 puzzle was rated at a 2.7 out of 5 in difficulty by its team of paid testers. That means it’s just a hair above average in complexity, though, as the article notes, “Your own rating may be different.” The Times encourages players to post their solve grids in the comments, fostering a lively community where participants compare scores, swap hints, and even share a little emotional support. (After all, who hasn’t stared at a Connections grid and wondered if maybe, just maybe, they’re overthinking things?)
To accommodate solvers from Sydney to San Francisco, the Times releases two Connections Companions daily, each tailored to Eastern Standard Time. This ensures that wherever you are, you’re never far from a fresh puzzle—and a forum full of fellow wordsmiths ready to commiserate or celebrate.
For those in need of a gentle nudge, both the Times and TechRadar provided hints and breakdowns for each category. Here’s how the day’s puzzle shook out:
Yellow (Center of our bodies): CORE, MIDSECTION, TORSO, TRUNK. These words all refer to the central part of the human body, a classic example of Connections’ penchant for anatomical themes. If you’ve ever been to a fitness class, you’ve probably heard at least two of these shouted at you.
Green (Stepping in): BACKUP, COVER, RELIEF, SUBSTITUTE. This group stumped some, as the word BENCH seemed to fit—especially for sports fans, as the TechRadar author admits: “My brain was going to sports where and football/soccer in particular where squad players who may feature later in the game sit on the bench.” However, the intended connection was all about stepping in for someone else, whether in a workplace, on stage, or in a lineup.
Blue (As seen in public green spaces): BENCH, PIGEON, STATUE, TREE. Anyone who’s taken a stroll through their local park will recognize these staples. A bench for resting, a tree for shade, a statue for contemplation, and, inevitably, a pigeon or two making themselves at home.
Purple (Pontoon lingo): BUST, HIT, SPLIT, STAND. The trickiest of the lot, these words are all terms from blackjack—a casino game also known as pontoon in some countries. As the TechRadar writer points out, “It took me a little while to get BLACKJACK TERMS as I’ve grown up saying ‘twist’ instead of HIT and ‘stick’ instead of STAND, but fortunately it features in enough movies that it didn’t make much difference.”
Such moments of cultural difference and personal association are what make Connections both infuriating and delightful. The puzzle’s design allows for a touch of ambiguity, and players are given up to four mistakes before the game ends—just enough leeway to encourage experimentation without making things too easy.
For those who crave even more wordplay, TechRadar’s daily coverage doesn’t stop at Connections. The site also provides hints and answers for other NYT Games mainstays like Wordle, Strands, and Quordle—ensuring that puzzle fans have no shortage of ways to exercise their brains. As the article cheerily suggests, “What should you do once you’ve finished? Why, play some more word games of course.”
The New York Times Games team, meanwhile, has expanded its presence beyond the website, now offering tips and behind-the-scenes content on Instagram. Readers are encouraged to email feedback or report technical issues directly from the game’s settings menu. Community engagement is taken seriously, with moderators ensuring that forum discussions remain civil and supportive—a necessity when competitive spirits run high.
Connections’ appeal lies in its blend of logic, language, and lateral thinking. It’s a daily ritual for many, a source of both challenge and comfort. Whether you’re a casual player or a die-hard competitor, there’s a certain thrill in cracking a tough category or spotting a connection that eluded you just moments before. And if you’re stuck, well, there’s always someone online ready to offer a hint (or, occasionally, a gentle nudge in the wrong direction—such is the nature of friendly rivalry).
Looking back at the previous day’s puzzle, the categories included everything from “FITTING” (FAIR, JUST, PROPER, RIGHT) to “PARTS OF AN ELECTRIC GUITAR” (FRET, PEG, PICKUP, STRING), demonstrating the game’s wide-ranging scope. One day you’re pondering the nuances of justice, the next you’re mentally assembling a Stratocaster.
It’s this variety, combined with a vibrant online community and the thrill of the ‘aha!’ moment, that keeps Connections players coming back day after day. As the New York Times and TechRadar both highlight, it’s not just about getting the right answer—it’s about the journey, the conversation, and the shared joy of discovery. And with a new puzzle waiting every midnight, the adventure never really ends.
