Sometimes, the best way to start the morning isn’t coffee, isn’t yoga, and honestly—ain’t even breakfast. It’s cracking that day’s Connections puzzle from The New York Times (NYT) and feeling like your brain just did a backflip and stuck the landing.
On Thursday, September 25, the puzzle dropped with its usual mix of “ha, that’s easy” to “what in the crossword dimension is this group?!”—and we’re here to lovingly walk you through the twisted word garden.
This isn’t your typical list of robotic answers and check-the-box clues. Nope. This guide is brewed with heart, frustration, triumph, and the occasional “SEE HINT” panic click. Let’s unravel the color-coded mystery that is NYT Connections, one color group at a time—and maybe giggle, frown, or fist-pump along the way.
What Is NYT Connections, and Why Does It Own My Brain Now?
If you’ve somehow missed the viral obsession that’s gripped brains around the globe—Connections is the NYT’s word categorization puzzle where players match 16 words into four groups of four based on something they all share. Could be “types of soup”, could be “things that explode”, could be “names your aunt gave her cats.” Anything.
Curated by the brilliant Wyna Liu, this puzzle blends trivia knowledge, semantic similarity, and good ol’ gut instinct. Each day, you wrestle with:
- Color-coded difficulty levels (from 🟡 Yellow – Simple, to 🟣 Purple – Hard as tofu on a trampoline)
- A mistake counter (four misses and you’re outta there)
- The agony/ecstasy of discovering the “shared thread among words”
Connections NYT: Hints For Today’s Puzzle, Thu, Sep 25
Alrighty, now let’s deep-dive into today’s head-scratcher. This is for Thursday, September 25—don’t worry, I won’t dump spoilers right away. You’ll get category clues, theme nudges, and maybe a lil’ empathy.
🟡 Yellow Group – Everyday Connections (A.K.A. ‘You Better Get These’)
This is the flashcard interface of the puzzle. It’s the group you’re supposed to find without breaking a sweat. But sometimes it’s so obvious, you second-guess yourself like you’re on a bad game show.
Clue hint: Think of something that might live in your pantry or your brain’s autopilot.
- All four words are common objects or ideas, but not necessarily from the same category. The twist? It’s how they’re used, not what they are.
- Imagine things you’d find in a school supply drawer or a kitchen junk drawer.
- If you’ve recently done back-to-school shopping, this one might jump out at you.
Fun fact: One of today’s yellow items shows up all the time in Wordle as a trap word. Don’t let it fool ya here too.
🟢 Green Group – Fairly Easy, But You’ll Overthink It Anyway
This one usually hides in plain sight. Like that one friend who’s quiet at the party but ends up dropping the best story of the night.
Clue hint: They all do the same thing, or cause the same result.
- Think verbs, or even states of being.
- One of the words in this group may look like a noun but is really a verb in disguise (tricksy little hobbit word).
- Language here leans a lil’ poetic.
SEE WORD if you’re confused by one—it’s a deceptively gentle set.
🔵 Blue Group – Trivia-Based Word Trap
The blue group is where the Wordle champs and Spelling Bee pangram hunters flex their trivia knowledge. You either get this set instantly because you know weird things… or you flail around like a penguin trying to tap dance.
Clue hint: These words are tied by specific knowledge, not general categories.
- They all share a background in entertainment or literature (and no, not the modern stuff—think back a few decades)
- There’s one curveball that’ll make you doubt the whole group
- One of the terms is also a slang word from a completely different context—don’t fall for it
Blue is where cognitive load in games meets pop culture jeopardy.
🟣 Purple Group – The Trickster Group That Hates You (Lovingly)
Ohhh purple. The hardest. The messiest. The group that makes you wish there was a SEE GROUP button for your life.
Clue hint: These words don’t seem connected until they suddenly… click. Think outside the category title box.
- This is where semantic grouping flexes its muscles hard.
- Could involve homonyms, puns, or cultural double meanings.
- If you’re reading these out loud to yourself, you’re on the right track.
This group is the Queen Bee (QB) of the day—once you get it, everything else makes sense. Or at least you can breathe again.
Puzzle Solving Strategies (So You Don’t Break Your Screen)
If you’ve been burning out after your third guess, don’t worry—Connections is sneaky. It’s designed to trip you up with overlapping logic. Here’s some not-at-all-obvious (but actually helpful) advice:
- Group matching > single-word matching. Always look for sets, not pairs.
- Read the words out loud. Sometimes phonetic similarities click first.
- SEE HINT is your friend. Use it to nudge your mind without spoiling the answer.
- Keep an eye out for color-coded difficulty patterns. If something feels easy, it probably belongs in yellow or green. Don’t overthink purple right away.
- Take a break. Literally stand up, stretch, and let your subconscious marinate. It works. No joke.
Why We Keep Coming Back to NYT Word Games
Beyond the bragging rights and the “I beat the puzzle in 2 minutes” screenshots, these daily challenges like NYT Connections, Wordle, and the Spelling Bee offer something weirdly grounding.
They’re part of a ritual. Like coffee, but with brain yoga.
- Wordle gives you that punch of satisfaction.
- Spelling Bee tests your creativity (and patience when you miss the pangram).
- Connections… it flexes that word clustering and knowledge retrieval part of your brain that’s otherwise used for remembering passwords and which email you used to sign up for Disney+.
Across Cultures: Word Games Are Everywhere
In Korean culture, nunchi—the art of reading a room—feels a lot like solving Connections. In Nigeria, there are storytelling games that rely on word associations passed down orally, just like our own little semantic puzzles. And let’s not forget crossword traditions in India, where puzzles double as language learning tools.
Word puzzles are more than just games. They’re cognitive heritage, honestly.
Real Words From Real People
“My daughter and I sit down with the Connections puzzle every night. It’s become our little ‘brain date.’ We argue, we guess, we groan—but we always end up laughing. Even when we fail.” — Samira, a mom in Queens
“I still don’t understand how ‘bark’ and ‘rock’ were in the same group. That puzzle haunts me.” — Evan, recovering Connections addict
How to Make Your Own NYT Connections-Style Puzzle (And Totally Torture Your Friends)
Want to be a chaotic good force in your group chat?
- Pick 16 words.
- Create 4 secret groups.
- Make two of them super obvious, one super obscure, and one that seems obvious but is actually a trap.
- Share it and watch the chaos unfold.
This is also a super fun way to bond with students, kids, or trivia nerds.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, NYT Connections is a reflection of how we think. How we link ideas. How our brains trick us and surprise us. It’s group therapy for your inner word nerd.
Frequently Asked Questions
connections hint
A quick clue to help you identify one of the four word groups in today’s NYT Connections puzzle.
connections nyt
Connections is a daily word grouping puzzle by The New York Times, where you sort 16 words into 4 related groups.
nyt connections
NYT Connections challenges players to spot hidden relationships between words using logic, trivia, and vocabulary.
connections hint today
Today’s hint reveals a subtle clue for each group — color-coded from easiest (Yellow) to hardest (Purple).
connections hints
These hints are designed to guide you without spoiling the entire answer, helping you guess categories with confidence.
