NYT Connections hints for October 22: gentle nudges, trap warnings, and the full solution for puzzle #864

Today’s NYT Connections (puzzle #864) leans classic: one everyday-life category, one verbs set that invites overthinking, a critter theme that’s more familiar than it first appears, and a purple group built around a common two-word phrase. If you want a spoiler-safe push before seeing the answers, start with the tiered hints below and stop when you’ve got your four sets.

NYT Connections hints — October 22 (no spoilers)

• Yellow (easiest): Things that show up on a monthly bill.

• Green: Verbs meaning “change/shape something to suit your needs.”

• Blue: Types of a tiny insect you already know.

• Purple (hardest): Words that fit “Copy ___.”

One nudge per group (still spoiler-safe)

• Yellow example: Water

• Green example: Mold

• Blue example: Army

• Purple example: Cat

Trap warnings for today

• Noun vs. verb confusion: Some words can be both. The Green set wants verbs (actions you perform to adjust something).

• Household decoys: A couple of everyday terms look like they belong on “bills,” but only four truly do.

• Insects, not animals: The Blue set is all one insect family, not a mix of bugs. If a word names a general creature rather than a specific kind, it probably isn’t Blue.

• “Copy ” vs. “ copy”: Today’s Purple phrases go after “Copy,” not before it.

Solving order that works today

Go Yellow → Green → Blue → Purple. Clearing the bill-related terms simplifies the rest, and once the verbs are gone, the insect set pops, leaving Purple to snap into place.

Strategy notes for October 22

• Group by function first. Ask “What do I pay for?” to isolate Yellow before you get distracted by household words that aren’t billed.

• Act on the verbs. For Green, try paraphrasing: “Could I tailor/fashion/mold/shape this to fit?” If the sentence works, you’ve likely found a member.

• Name the insect out loud. Saying “___ ant” clarifies Blue instantly.

• Test the phrase. With Purple, speak the pair: “Copy ___.” If it’s a familiar phrase you might hear in everyday life or online, that’s your cue.

NYT Connections answers — October 22 (spoilers)

Yellow — Utilities (monthly bills):
Electric, Gas, Telephone, Water

Green — Adapt to fit one’s needs (verbs):
Fashion, Mold, Shape, Tailor

Blue — Kinds of ants:
Army, Carpenter, Fire, Pharaoh

Purple — “Copy ___” phrases:
Cat, Pasta, Right, Writer

Why today’s grid felt fair—but sneaky

• The Utilities set is straightforward, yet the presence of broadly “household” words tempts misclicks.

• The verbs group punishes passive reading; converting each candidate into a sentence (“Can I tailor this?”) prevents false positives.

• The ants are all common in everyday speech—no obscure biology required—so the difficulty comes from ignoring other plausible animal links.

• The “Copy ___” set hinges on phrase recognition; once two land, the other two follow quickly.

Quick help for future boards

• Shuffle early, not late. A new layout breaks visual ruts and exposes hidden pairs.

• Lock obvious pairs, then test add-ons. If two scream “go together,” cycle third and fourth candidates against them.

• Color cadence matters. Clearing Yellow and Green first reduces ambiguity and raises your odds for the trickier Blue/Purple sets.

Good luck on tomorrow’s grid—and if you solved #864 clean, bank the patterns: everyday bills, action-verbs for customization, single-species subtypes, and flexible two-word phrases pop up often in different clothing.