NYT Connections Hints Today (#863)—Clues and Answers for Tuesday, October 21

Happy Tuesday! TopMob is here to help you with today’s NYT Connections puzzle. It’s a fun one, especially if you’re into sports or technology, but a few of the words might be tricky. I personally struggled with ‘WIIS’ for a while, but these hints should point you in the right direction.

Check out the full spread of NYT Connections hints I’ve got for you today.

What is NYT Connections?

I should probably give you some background information before sharing today’s hints for the NYT Connections game.

NYT Connections launched in June 2023 as the newest addition to the New York Times’ collection of games. It quickly became popular, and for good reason. Being a free and easy-to-access New York Times game, it’s available to players around the world on both computers and mobile devices.

NYT Connections is a great way to pass the time, whether you’re commuting or waiting for your coffee.

But how do you play NYT Connections?

It’s relatively simple, and that’s why it’s the best New York Times game, in my opinion.

Each day, the New York Times Connections game gives you a set of 16 words. Your job is to organize them into four groups of four, based on what they have in common. There’s only one correct solution to each puzzle, and because some words can have multiple meanings, it can be challenging to solve.

The words are also color-coded to show how challenging they are: yellow is the easiest, followed by blue, then green, and purple being the most difficult.

The important thing to remember is you only get four tries each day. Use them all up, and you won’t be able to solve today’s NYT Connections puzzle – it’ll be game over.

Today’s NYT Connections Hints (October 21)

If you’re stuck on today’s NYT Connections puzzle but don’t want the solutions, let’s look at the words first. Simply seeing them might be all you need to start recognizing the connections and solve it yourself.

Here are the NYT Connections words from today’s puzzle, #863:

  • BUCKS
  • DOES
  • BULLS
  • DRONES
  • QUEENS
  • HORNETS
  • ADDRESSES
  • TELEVISIONS
  • GARAGE DOORS
  • HANDLES
  • KINGS
  • JACKS
  • SPURS
  • ACES
  • TACKLES
  • WIIS

And here are the hints I can offer for today’s NYT Connections:

  • Yellow Think of what you’d find in a deck, especially the face cards and their high-ranking companions. These are the usual suspects in a game of poker.
  • GreenEach word here suggests stepping up to a task or responsibility. If someone says “I’ll ___ it,” any of these could complete the sentence.
  • BlueThese are all fierce competitors in the NBA. Picture mascots, slam dunks, and team jerseys—each one represents a franchise.
  • PurpleIf you’ve got a controller in hand, you might be operating one of these. From flying tech to home access to entertainment systems, these are all things you can command from a distance.

Here’s the final warning before we get to the NYT Connections answers for today, October 21.

Are you sure you want to scroll further?

Very well!

NYT Connections Answers for Today, October 21 (#863)

Looking for the solutions to today’s NYT Connections puzzle? I can help!

  • Yellow – ACES, JACKS, KINGS, QUEENS
  • Green – ADDRESSES, DOES, HANDLES, TACKLES
  • Blue – BUCKS, BULLS, HORNETS, SPURS
  • Purple – DRONES, GARAGE DOORS, TELEVISIONS, WIIS

When Does NYT Connections Reset?

That’s today’s puzzle! A new one becomes available every day at midnight, based on your local time. You’ll have a full 24 hours to solve it after midnight in your time zone.

How did it go? Did you manage a perfect game? Share your current streak on the TopMob Discord server!

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2025-10-20 21:50