NYT Connections hints today for #821 Tuesday, September 9, 2025

For daily players, keeping that Connections streak alive feels like a badge of honor. But puzzles like today’s? They’re designed to trip you up. One group is a total gimme, the kind you’ll knock out instantly. Another, though, is the type that makes you stare at the screen wondering if you’ve lost your touch. That’s where hints come in handy, giving you just enough of a push to outsmart the game without spoiling the fun. 

What exactly is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is not your typical word game. It’s a brain teaser where you’re presented with a 4 × 4 grid containing 16 words. Your task? Find four groups of four words that share a common connection. These groups are color-coded by difficulty:

• Green = easy
• Yellow = moderate
• Blue = challenging
• Purple = toughest

Tips to Conquer NYT Connections

Though I’m still mastering the game, here are a few strategies that have helped me:

• Pay Attention to Feedback: If you get a group wrong, watch the message “One away” usually means you’re close!
• Shuffle to Refresh Your View: Rearranging the words can spark new insights.
• Start with the Easy Groups: The green and yellow sets are typically more obvious and can help you narrow down the rest.

Hints for Today (September 9, 2025)

• Yellow group: Words that signal something has reached its end.
• Green group: Each item is protected by a shell (natural, edible, or candy-coated).
  
• Blue group: Words that describe a way to drink, sometimes fast, sometimes fierce.
• Purple group: Words that form a familiar phrase or type of canine when paired with “dog.”

Spoiler territory ahead! Actual answers for today:

• Yellow (Reaching the end): COMPLETE, DONE, OVER, THROUGH
• Green (Things with shells): EGG, HARD TACO, M&M, SNAIL
• Blue (Drink quickly): BELT, GULP, SHOT, SLUG
• Purple (___ dog): BULL, LAP, UNDER, WATCH

My Take

Today’s puzzle offered a satisfying mix of themes. The yellow group was intuitive, things coming to an end. Thinking about “shells” for green was clever (yes, even taco shells count!). The blue group made you imagine downing a drink in different ways, and the purple group really clicked once “dog” was added.

If you enjoyed today’s puzzle, make sure to check in tomorrow for more clues and answers!