Spoiler warning: The answers for NYT Connections game #821 are below. This is the Tuesday, September 9, 2025 puzzle—not the current day’s game. Because Connections refreshes at midnight in each time zone, “today” depends on where you are.
The 16 words in Connections #821
SLUG, EGG, COMPLETE, BULL, LAP, SNAIL, WATCH, BELT, OVER, UNDER, THROUGH, HARD TACO, DONE, GULP, M&M, SHOT.
Hints for September 9
Try the clues in color order before scrolling to the groups:
- Yellow: Reached the end.
- Green: A protective outer coating.
- Blue: Drink quickly.
- Purple: Add a word that is opposite to “cat.”
September 9 Connections answers
Spoilers below: the complete groups and their words follow.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →- Yellow — FINISHED: COMPLETE, DONE, OVER, THROUGH.
- Green — THINGS WITH SHELLS: EGG, HARD TACO, M&M, SNAIL.
- Blue — SWIG: BELT, GULP, SHOT, SLUG.
- Purple — __DOG: BULL, LAP, UNDER, WATCH.
Why the words can be confusing
OVER, UNDER, and THROUGH all belong to FINISHED, even though UNDER also appears in the purple word pattern. For __DOG, pair each tile with “dog”: bulldog, lap dog, underdog, and watchdog. The answer guides agree on these four groups; TechRadar’s writer described the puzzle as easy, while noting those three tiles as a possible source of confusion. That is one writer’s reaction, not a measure of how difficult every player will find it.
How Connections works
Connections asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared link. The categories are conventionally ordered from easier to harder by color, and players can make up to four mistakes. You can play on the NYT Games website.
Rank #2
Sources
The board, hints, and answers are cross-checked against date-specific guides from TechRadar and Try Hard Guides. These are answer-guide reports, not a direct verification against an official NYT puzzle archive.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
