Today’s NYT Connections puzzle for 26 November 2025 brought together a lively mix of wordplay, abbreviations, and a clever reversal-themed twist. As always, solvers faced sixteen words that sort cleanly into four connected categories. Below you’ll find a full overview, gentle hints, and the complete answers grouped by category—perfect whether you’re stuck or double-checking your board.

NYT Connections Puzzle Overview: 26 November 2025

The 26 November grid leaned into a satisfying blend of straightforward linguistic categories and one playful hidden-pattern group. While some groups, like possibility verbs, were quick wins for seasoned solvers, the backwards-animals set delivered the day’s “aha!” moment. Overall, the puzzle balanced approachability with just enough misdirection to keep things interesting.

NYT Connections Hints: 26 November 2025

Category 1:
  • These words relate to expressing uncertainty.
  • Often used when suggesting something might occur.
  • Common in polite or tentative phrasing.
  • Modal verbs are the theme.
Category 2:
  • Shortened forms of common given names.
  • Typically used in casual or friendly settings.
  • All refer specifically to women.
  • Each is a familiar everyday nickname.
Category 3:
  • These are tied to money, markets, or banking.
  • You might hear them in financial reports.
  • Letters stand for larger terms.
  • All are standard industry abbreviations.
Category 4:
  • Think of animals—but not spelled forward.
  • Each word becomes a creature when reversed.
  • Wordplay is key to spotting the pattern.
  • A trickier hidden theme compared to the rest.

NYT Connections Answers: 26 November 2025

Here are the answers, grouped by category:

Category 1:
Category 2:
Category 3:
Category 4:

Conclusion & Quick Strategy Tip

Today’s puzzle combined clean linguistic groups with a fun backward-spelling twist, offering just the right level of challenge. If the final group stalled you, you weren’t alone—pattern-based categories often do.

Strategy tip: When a group feels inconsistent, try reversing, splitting, or rearranging the words—Connections loves hiding patterns in plain sight.