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Need a nudge for Friday, September 19, 2025’s NYT Connections? This is puzzle #831. Start with the spoiler-light clues below; the category names and full groups are farther down, so stop when you have enough to keep playing.
Hints for Connections #831
Reveal these in order, moving on only if you need more help.
- Category nudges: assess value; reactions or behaviors when on edge; things that can run in annoying everyday ways; words that follow “paper.”
- One example tile per group: GRADE; PACE; MASCARA; TOWEL.
- Category names: EVALUATE; EXHIBIT NERVOUSNESS; THINGS THAT CAN RUN, ANNOYINGLY; PAPER ___.
The New York Times describes Connections as four groups of four words, with yellow easiest and purple trickiest. Its Help Center notes that words may fit multiple categories, which is part of the puzzle’s challenge. NYT Help Center: Connections.
Full answers for September 19, 2025
Spoiler: The complete solution for puzzle #831 is below.
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#1 Best Overall
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | EVALUATE | GRADE, RANK, RATE, SCORE |
| Green | EXHIBIT NERVOUSNESS | BLUSH, FIDGET, PACE, SWEAT |
| Blue | THINGS THAT CAN RUN, ANNOYINGLY | DYE, MASCARA, NOSE, STOCKINGS |
| Purple | PAPER ___ | CLIP, TIGER, TOWEL, TRAIL |
The blue group turns on the different senses of “run”: dye can run, mascara can run, a nose can run, and stockings can run. The purple words complete “paper clip,” “paper tiger,” “paper towel,” and “paper trail.” The date, puzzle number, tile bank, and groups are confirmed by TechRadar’s guide and Parade’s answer page.
All 16 tiles
TIGER, NOSE, MASCARA, PACE, RATE, BLUSH, DYE, CLIP, SWEAT, TOWEL, SCORE, TRAIL, RANK, FIDGET, STOCKINGS, GRADE.
Rank #2
How Connections works
Connections gives players 16 words to sort into four groups of four based on shared themes. The New York Times says editors curate its words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary, and that each puzzle has one solution. A new puzzle releases at midnight in the player’s timezone. The NYT Help Center lists play through the Games app and NYTimes.com; it also says the archive reaches back to June 12, 2023 and is available to All Access and Games subscribers, with an NYT account required for archive progress. Access details can change; consult the official Connections help page for current terms.
Quick Recap
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