Every morning, word game enthusiasts across the globe wake up to a fresh challenge from the New York Times: the Connections puzzle. Released at midnight in each player’s time zone, this clever game has quickly become a daily ritual, blending the thrill of trivia with the satisfaction of pattern recognition. On Sunday, November 16, 2025, puzzle #889 landed, inviting players to group seemingly unrelated words into four distinct categories—a task that’s simple in theory but often fiendish in practice.
According to TechRadar, the day’s puzzle presented sixteen words: PEDESTRIAN, BARCODE, TAX, RAILROAD, ZEBRA, EVERYDAY, SCHOOL, AVENUE, RUGBY SHIRT, APPROACH, BANAL, PARKING, PHILOSOPHY, HUMDRUM, IBM LOGO, and METHOD. The challenge? Find the secret connections that tie them together. For those stuck in a mental rut (and let’s admit, that’s most of us at some point), hints were available online, nudging players toward the solution without giving everything away.
So, what were the answers for Connections #889? As revealed by TechRadar, the four groups were:
YELLOW: TECHNIQUE – APPROACH, METHOD, PHILOSOPHY, SCHOOL
GREEN: RUN-OF-THE-MILL – BANAL, EVERYDAY, HUMDRUM, PEDESTRIAN
BLUE: STRIPY THINGS – BARCODE, IBM LOGO, RUGBY SHIRT, ZEBRA
PURPLE: WORDS ON MONOPOLY SQUARES – AVENUE, PARKING, RAILROAD, TAX
Players were quick to share their experiences and strategies in online forums and comment sections. The New York Times itself fosters a vibrant community around the game, encouraging readers to post their solve grids, discuss difficulty, and even rate the puzzle. As noted in the daily companion column, the Connections puzzle for November 16 was considered on the easier side, with testers rating the previous day’s challenge at just 1.7 out of 5 for difficulty. Of course, what’s easy for one solver can be perplexing for another—especially when homophones and wordplay come into play.
But what makes Connections so addictive? The game’s structure is both its charm and its source of frustration. Each day, players must group the sixteen words into four sets of four, each set sharing a hidden link. The categories can range from the obvious (“punctuation marks”) to the delightfully obscure (“words on Monopoly squares”). And there’s a twist: you’re allowed four mistakes before the game ends. This generous buffer encourages risk-taking but also raises the stakes as you near your limit.
The blue group, “STRIPY THINGS,” proved particularly entertaining for many. As one TechRadar writer recounted, the presence of BARCODE and ZEBRA immediately suggested a black-and-white theme, but it was only after considering RUGBY SHIRT—famous for its bold stripes—and the iconic IBM LOGO that the connection clicked. “It was realizing that BARCODE and ZEBRA had another thing in common that flipped the switch,” the writer explained, highlighting the game’s knack for leading players down false paths before the real answer emerges.
The purple group, “WORDS ON MONOPOLY SQUARES,” was a nostalgic nod to the classic board game. AVENUE, PARKING, RAILROAD, and TAX are all familiar to anyone who’s spent an evening trying to avoid bankruptcy at the hands of friends and family. “Not seeing WORDS ON MONOPOLY SQUARES was annoying, as it’s one of my favorite board games,” admitted one commentator, reflecting the puzzle’s ability to surprise even seasoned solvers.
Meanwhile, the yellow and green groups rewarded careful thinking about synonyms and abstract concepts. “TECHNIQUE” united APPROACH, METHOD, PHILOSOPHY, and SCHOOL—not as places of learning, but as ways of doing or thinking about something. The green group, “RUN-OF-THE-MILL,” gathered BANAL, EVERYDAY, HUMDRUM, and PEDESTRIAN, all words describing the ordinary and unremarkable. It’s these subtler connections that often trip up players, requiring not just vocabulary but a feel for nuance.
For those who missed the previous day’s puzzle (#888, Saturday, November 15), the answers were also recapped: “ENHANCE THE TASTE OF” (FLAVOR, SALT, SEASON, SPICE), “PUNCTUATION MARKS” (COLON, DASH, PERIOD, SLASH), “KINDS OF ACTORS” (CHARACTER, FILM, METHOD, STAGE), and “___ ZONE” (BUFFER, COMFORT, TIME, TWILIGHT). The inclusion of these recaps has become a beloved feature for regular players, offering a second chance to appreciate clever groupings or groan over missed opportunities.
Beyond the answers, the Connections community is a welcoming space for both newcomers and veterans. As the New York Times Connections forum reminds readers, “Be kind. Comments are moderated for civility.” Players are encouraged to share not just their scores, but their struggles and triumphs, creating a sense of camaraderie around a solitary pastime.
Social media has also played a role in the game’s popularity. The New York Times Games team now maintains an active presence on Instagram, offering solving tips, behind-the-scenes content, and a direct line for feedback. This engagement has helped Connections join the ranks of viral word games like Wordle and Spelling Bee, with daily hints and answer articles popping up across the internet.
For those seeking extra help, tools like Connections Bot provide personalized difficulty analysis, while companion articles offer step-by-step hints. The puzzle’s color-coded categories—yellow for straightforward, green for slightly harder, blue for tricky, and purple for the toughest—help players gauge their progress and strategize accordingly.
At its core, Connections is a celebration of language and logic. Each puzzle is a miniature exercise in lateral thinking, rewarding both knowledge and creativity. Whether you’re breezing through the categories or agonizing over your final guess, the satisfaction of seeing those four groups fall into place is hard to beat.
As the clock strikes midnight and a new puzzle appears, Connections fans everywhere are already gearing up for the next challenge. With its perfect blend of simplicity, complexity, and community spirit, the game shows no signs of losing its grip on the minds—and mornings—of word lovers worldwide.
