Waking up and opening the New York Times Games app feels like a gamble lately. Some days you breeze through, other days you’re staring at sixteen words that seem to have absolutely zero relationship to one another. If you are hunting for a connections hint oct 23, you’re likely in that second camp. It happens.
The October 23 puzzle is a classic Wyna Liu creation. It’s deceptive. It’s a bit cheeky. Most importantly, it relies on your ability to see past the first definition that pops into your head. If you see the word "Nuts" and immediately think of a snack, you might already be in trouble.
What is Making the Connections Hint Oct 23 So Tricky?
The difficulty of any given Connections puzzle usually boils down to "crossover" words. These are the red herrings—words that could easily fit into two or even three different categories. On October 23, the crossover is particularly brutal because several words relate to physical objects while also doubling as slang or verbs.
Think about the word JACK.
Is it a tool for a car? A playing card? A name? A verb meaning to steal? When a puzzle has multiple words like this, your brain naturally tries to group them by their most common usage. But the New York Times editors know this. They want you to burn through your four mistakes by oversimplifying.
Honestly, the best way to approach this specific grid is to look for the "Purple" category first. I know, that sounds counterintuitive. Usually, we look for the easy "Yellow" groups. But on October 23, the yellow group is so broad that you might accidentally include a word that actually belongs in the more complex Blue or Green categories.
Breaking Down the October 23 Categories
Let's get into the weeds. If you want a nudge without the full spoilers, look at the verbs. There is a very specific set of words today that describe actions you might do when you are trying to move something heavy or increase something's value.
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The "Increase" Group (Yellow)
This is usually the most straightforward set. You are looking for synonyms that mean to raise or lift something up. It’s basic. It’s functional.
- BOOST
- HIKE
- JACK
- UP
Wait, "UP"? Yeah, it functions as a verb here. Think about a store "upping" their prices. It’s a short word, and it’s easy to overlook because we use it as a preposition 90% of the time. This is where the connections hint oct 23 really matters—you have to be willing to see words as different parts of speech than you're used to.
The "Fastening" Group (Green)
This one is a bit more tangible. These are all items you’d find in a junk drawer or a toolbox. They hold things together.
- ANCHOR
- BUCKLE
- RIVET
- SNAP
"Rivet" is the trap here. Most people think of a rivet as a permanent metal fastener on a bridge or a pair of jeans. But to be "riveted" is also to be fascinated. If you were looking for "Ways to say you're interested," you might have tried to pair Rivet with something else. Don't fall for it. It stays here with the fasteners.
The Misconceptions About Today's Wordplay
A common mistake players make with the connections hint oct 23 involves the word BUCKLE.
Most of us think of a belt buckle. But "buckle" is also a verb meaning to collapse under pressure. If the puzzle had words like "Fold," "Bend," or "Give," you’d be in a world of hurt. Fortunately, in this specific grid, its partners are all physical fasteners.
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Then there is the Blue category. This is often the "Category of Four." In Connections-speak, that means four words that all follow or precede a specific common word.
For October 23, we are looking at:
- CHERRY
- DOG
- PUMP
- SLING
What connects these? They are all types of SHOES.
- Cherry (like the brand or the aesthetic)
- Dog (slang for feet/shoes, though "Hush Puppies" is the closer link)
- Pump (the classic heel)
- Sling (as in a slingback)
This is a "medium" difficulty category because while "Pump" is obviously a shoe, "Dog" is a massive stretch unless you are familiar with older slang or specific brand associations.
The Infamous Purple Category
The Purple category is usually the "Word " or " Word" group. For the connections hint oct 23, the theme is actually "Words that sound like other words" or "Synonyms for crazy."
Actually, let's look closer at the remaining four:
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- BANANAS
- BATTY
- BONKERS
- NUTS
This is actually one of the "easier" Purples we've seen in a while. They are all slang terms for being eccentric or "crazy." The trick isn't finding the connection—it's making sure you didn't use "Nuts" in a "Types of Snacks" category that didn't exist.
Strategic Advice for Tomorrow
If today’s puzzle kicked your butt, don’t feel bad. The NYT Games section is designed to be a "five-minute distraction" that occasionally ruins your entire morning. To get better at spotting these patterns, stop submitting your first guess immediately.
I usually spend at least two minutes just staring. I don't click anything. I look for the words that have multiple meanings. If I see "Snap," I think: Is it a fastener? Is it a mental break? Is it a finger noise? Is it a type of photo?
By identifying the "multitasker" words first, you can isolate which group they actually belong to by looking at what's left. If "Snap" is the only word that fits with "Buckle" and "Anchor," then it has to be a fastener, even if you really wanted it to mean "a quick photo."
Actionable Steps for Your Next Game:
- Shuffle Constantly: The initial layout is designed to group red herrings together. Hit that shuffle button until the visual associations break.
- Say the Words Out Loud: Sometimes hearing the word helps you realize it's a homophone or a different part of speech.
- Identify the "Must-Haves": If you are 100% sure that "Bananas" and "Bonkers" go together, look for the other two. Don't guess until you have the full set of four.
- Work Backward from Purple: If you can spot the "wordplay" category first, the rest of the board becomes significantly easier because the "distractor" words are usually hidden in that most difficult tier.
Solving the Connections puzzle isn't just about vocabulary; it's about flexibility. The October 23 grid proves that even simple words like "Up" or "Dog" can be the ones that trip you up if you aren't looking at them from every possible angle. Keep your eyes open for those double meanings and you'll find your win streak lasting a lot longer.