Connections #1243 hints
One nudge per colour, from yellow (usually plain) to purple (usually wordplay). Stop when the board opens up.
Hints used: 0
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Yellow group hintGentle hint
Shoes that give you some extra height when you walk.
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Green group hintGentle hint
Expect to find these in a garden or a bouquet.
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Blue group hintHelpful hint
Each of these is round at the bottom and narrows to a point on top.
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Purple group hintHelpful hint
Change just the final letter of a drink order and you get something else entirely.
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Where's the trap?Strong hint
PEAR sits right next to the garden plants and tempts you to treat it as a plant, while ROSE could also pass for a drink, and short words like RUN and GIG look far too ordinary to be altered spirits.
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The four group namesStrong hint
- KINDS OF HEELS
- FLOWERS
- TEARDROP-SHAPED THINGS
- LIQUORS WITH LAST LETTERS CHANGED
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Difficulty: Hard. The last-letter wordplay group is easy to miss because its words look like normal everyday words, and one shape group needs some outside knowledge.
Play Connections #1243
Try a group here before you risk a mistake in the real game. Four mistakes are allowed, and nothing is saved. The longest word on this board is NARCISSUS and the shortest is GIG.
Connections #1243 answers
Spoiler zone. Below are all four groups for November 5, 2026, with why each word fits.
Reveal one group at a time
Each colour opens in three steps: one word from the group, then the group name, then all four words. Stop as soon as you can finish it yourself.
Show one word
KITTEN is in the yellow group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is KINDS OF HEELS.
Show all four words
KITTEN, PLATFORM, SPIKE, WEDGE
Show one word
ANEMONE is in the green group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is FLOWERS.
Show all four words
ANEMONE, LOTUS, NARCISSUS, ROSE
Show one word
PEAR is in the blue group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is TEARDROP-SHAPED THINGS.
Show all four words
PEAR, RAINDROP, SPEEDBAG, UVULA
Show one word
BRANDO is in the purple group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is LIQUORS WITH LAST LETTERS CHANGED.
Show all four words
BRANDO, GIG, RUN, WHISKER
All four groups at once
Show all four groups
- KITTEN: A short, slim heel, usually about an inch or two
- PLATFORM: A thick raised sole under the whole front of the shoe
- SPIKE: A very thin, sharp heel, also called a stiletto
- WEDGE: A solid heel that runs the full length of the sole
- ANEMONE: A colorful spring bloom with a dark center
- LOTUS: A water flower, sacred in many cultures
- NARCISSUS: A bloom related to the daffodil, named for a myth
- ROSE: A classic thorny flower, often given on Valentine's Day
- PEAR: The fruit is wide at the bottom and tapers up
- RAINDROP: Classic falling water shape, round base and pointed top
- SPEEDBAG: A small boxing bag that hangs in a teardrop shape
- UVULA: The dangly bit at the back of your throat
Purple group explained
- BRANDO: BRANDY with the last letter changed from Y to O
- GIG: GIN with the last letter changed from N to G
- RUN: RUM with the last letter changed from M to N
- WHISKER: WHISKEY with the last letter changed from Y to R
Puzzle note
Here, PEAR loitered beside the flowers looking botanical, while ROSE kept eyeing the liquor. A careful player would notice that RUN, GIG and WHISKER are each a last letter away from a real drink, so short ordinary words deserve suspicion. Purple was the sneaky one.
What does SPEEDBAG mean?
A small, teardrop-shaped punching bag hung from a rebounding platform at head height. Boxers hit it rapidly to practise timing, rhythm, and hand speed. It fits the teardrop-shaped group.
What does UVULA mean?
The small, fleshy, dangling piece of tissue at the back of the soft palate, visible at the back of your throat. It helps with swallowing and some speech sounds. It is teardrop-shaped.
Recent Connections puzzles
| Date | Puzzle | Purple group |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | #1242 | FIRE___ |
| Nov 3 | #1241 | ENDING IN MENU BAR HEADINGS |
| Nov 2 | #1240 | THINGS WITH MIRRORS |
| Nov 1 | #1239 | SYNONYMS FOR "SOAKED" WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED |
| Oct 31 | #1238 | STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS |
| Oct 30 | #1237 | FRUIT WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED |
| Oct 29 | #1236 | THINGS THAT FEATURE THREE COLORS |
About Connections
Connections is a daily New York Times puzzle where you sort 16 words into four groups of four. Groups are colour-coded from yellow, the most direct, to purple, which usually relies on wordplay. You can make four mistakes. Looking back at past puzzles is one of the best ways to learn the kinds of tricks the editors like to use.
Other puzzles on Nov 5
Connections #1243 questions
What were the Connections answers on November 5, 2026?
KINDS OF HEELS: KITTEN, PLATFORM, SPIKE, WEDGE. FLOWERS: ANEMONE, LOTUS, NARCISSUS, ROSE. TEARDROP-SHAPED THINGS: PEAR, RAINDROP, SPEEDBAG, UVULA. LIQUORS WITH LAST LETTERS CHANGED: BRANDO, GIG, RUN, WHISKER.
What was the purple group in Connections #1243?
LIQUORS WITH LAST LETTERS CHANGED: BRANDO, GIG, RUN, WHISKER.
What made Connections #1243 tricky?
PEAR sits right next to the garden plants and tempts you to treat it as a plant, while ROSE could also pass for a drink, and short words like RUN and GIG look far too ordinary to be altered spirits.
What was the easiest group in Connections #1243?
Usually yellow, which was KINDS OF HEELS: KITTEN, PLATFORM, SPIKE, WEDGE.