NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 (#1243): Two Hints per Group, Then the Answers

Today’s Connections from The New York Times (NYT) is puzzle #1243, for Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, edited by Wyna Liu. All 16 entries are single words, and the groups run from yellow, the easiest, to purple, the trickiest. Pear and Wedge each have another meaning, which makes the board harder than it looks. Below are two levels of hints for each color, then the full solution and an explanation of the tricky words in a marked spoiler section.

Today’s 16 words

Raindrop, Rose, Whisker, Kitten, Gig, Pear, Spike, Narcissus, Wedge, Run, Lotus, Uvula, Brando, Anemone, Speedbag, Platform

How the game works

Sort the 16 entries into four groups of four. You can make four mistakes. The groups run from yellow to green, blue and purple, with purple the group that depends most on wordplay.

Hints for each group

Yellow

• Hint 1

  Think of shoes. Each word names a style of heel.
• Hint 2

  One shares its name with a young cat, one is a thin, sharp point, one is a thick, raised sole under the whole foot, and one is a triangular shape.
• Reveal the yellow group

  Kinds of Heels: Kitten, Platform, Spike, Wedge

Green

• Hint 1

  Each one is a plant grown for its blossom.
• Hint 2

  One floats on ponds, one has thorns on its stem, one is a bulb in the daffodil family, and one shares its name with a sea creature.
• Reveal the green group

  Flowers: Anemone, Lotus, Narcissus, Rose

Blue

• Hint 1

  Each one has a rounded bottom that narrows to a point at the top.
• Hint 2

  One falls from a cloud, one is a fruit, one hangs at the back of your throat, and one is a small punching bag that boxers hit.
• Reveal the blue group

  Teardrop-Shaped Things: Pear, Raindrop, Speedbag, Uvula

Purple

• Hint 1

  Change the last letter of each entry and you get a drink.
• Hint 2

  One is an actor’s surname, one is a short paid performance, one is what a sprinter does, and one grows on a cat’s face.
• Reveal the purple group

  Liquors with Last Letters Changed: Brando, Gig, Run, Whisker

Solving tips

Show the solving tips

Start with green, because flowers are the easiest group to name. Next, take the teardrop shapes, and keep Pear there: it is a fruit, but it fits by shape. Wedge is another word with a second life, so check it against the heel styles. Leave purple for last. Four entries will be left, and each turns into a liquor with one new last letter.

Keep a streak log on our printable weekly calendar or the November 2026 printable calendar.

More of today’s puzzles: Wordle hints, Strands hints and Pips hints.

Today’s Connections answers (spoilers)

Stop here if you still want to solve it yourself.

• Yellow, Kinds of Heels

  Kitten, Platform, Spike, Wedge
• Green, Flowers

  Anemone, Lotus, Narcissus, Rose
• Blue, Teardrop-Shaped Things

  Pear, Raindrop, Speedbag, Uvula
• Purple, Liquors with Last Letters Changed

  Brando, Gig, Run, Whisker

1. Kinds of HeelsKitten, Platform, Spike, Wedge
2. FlowersAnemone, Lotus, Narcissus, Rose
3. Teardrop-Shaped ThingsPear, Raindrop, Speedbag, Uvula
4. Liquors with Last Letters ChangedBrando, Gig, Run, Whisker

Why the traps worked

Pear. It is a fruit, so it may not suggest a shape. Here it sits with Raindrop, Speedbag and Uvula, all teardrop shapes.

Wedge. It can be a shape, but here it is a kind of heel, with Kitten, Platform and Spike.

The changed endings. Brando, Gig, Run and Whisker look like ordinary words. Each becomes a liquor when the last letter changes: Brando becomes Brandy, Gig becomes Gin, Run becomes Rum and Whisker becomes Whiskey.

We checked the solution against the puzzle’s official data before posting. Puzzle #1244 arrives at midnight.

Yesterday's Connections answer

The four groups in Connections on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, easiest to hardest:

• Yellow, Triangular Prisms with a Sharp Edge: Doorstop, Flatiron Building, Pie Slice, Wedge
• Green, Words After "Do Not" on a Care Label: Bleach, Iron, Tumble Dry, Wring
• Blue, Move Idly, with "Around": Loll, Poke, Putter, Shuffle
• Purple, Fire___: Cracker, Fly, Wood, Works

Yesterday's hints and full solution.