NYT ‘Connections’ October 11: Answers and Clues for Game #488

Are you struggling with this week’s Connections puzzles? Newsweek is here to help with clues—and answers if you want them.

The popular word-based game was launched by The New York Times in June 2023 and is now the publication’s second-most played game behind Wordle.

Connections developer and crossword editor at the New York Times, Wyna Liu, recently spoke with Newsweek about the game’s popularity.

“The response has been really incredible and overwhelming, and unexpected,” she said of its global following. “It’s exciting that something I care very deeply about is resonating with people.”

When it comes to getting the Connections answers correct, Liu said, “My best piece advice is to wait as long as you can before guessing.”

Keep scrolling for Newsweek‘s helpful hints, but be warned: The answers to today’s Connections puzzle will be revealed at the bottom of the page. If you don’t want to see spoilers, we advise you scroll with caution.

How to Play ‘Connections’

At the start of every Connections game, players are given a set of 16 words. These words, which are in a grid format, must be broken up into four groups of four based on common characteristics and placed into categories.

These categories range in difficulty from yellow to green to blue to purple, with yellow considered the easiest and purple the hardest.

As an example, Thursday’s game linked the words “bad,” “fly,” “ill” and “rad” under the category “Cool, in ’80s slang.” This was a green category.

If you’re feeling stuck, there’s a “Shuffle” button which will mix up the words to give you a fresh perspective.

There is no time limit to the game, however, users only get four guesses before the correct answers are revealed—so choose your guesses wisely.

‘Connections’ #488 Clues for Friday, October 11

Newsweek has helpful hints to assist you with today’s Connections game.

Yellow: To hold dear

Green: Think of words associated with water

Blue: Value beyond the expected

Purple: Arrogant behavior

‘Connections’ #488 Answers for Friday, October 11

Yellow Category: CHERISH

Yellow Words: Relish, Savor, Treasure, Value

Green Category: QUICK JUMP IN THE POOL

Green Words: Dip, Dive, Splash, Swim

Blue Category: ADDITIONAL BENEFIT

Blue Words: Bonus, Extra, Frosting, Gravy

Purple Category: BRASHNESS

Purple Words: Brash, Cheek, Nerve, Sauce

Congratulations if you got Friday’s puzzle correct, but don’t worry if you didn’t. You’ll get another chance on Saturday when a new Connections game will be available for you to try.

Connections is released at midnight in your local time zone, and Newsweek will return with more tips and answers tomorrow.

For now, why not try these other word-based puzzles, like Words With Friends, Lexigo and Spellspire?