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How Connections works
NYT Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to arrange them into four groups of four. The groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is generally easiest and purple hardest, with purple often relying on wordplay. An incorrect selection costs one of four lives; the game ends after four mistakes.
The 16 words in puzzle #814
- STIRRING
- MYSTERY
- CHRISTMAS
- SWEARING
- HOUSE
- MOUSE
- HERRING
- EARRING
- EXPLETIVES
- PLEATHER VEST
- OUROBOROS
- NECKLACE
- MESH SHIRT
- FOUR-LETTER WORDS
- HISTAMINE
- PROFANITY
Progressive hints
Use these clues in order, stopping before the next level if you want to preserve the solve.
Yellow hint
Think of rude language you might not get away with saying at school or in a place of worship.
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Green hint
These words feature in a familiar festive poem.
Blue hint
These are accessories or clothing associated with Barbie’s pal when he is “all dolled up.”
Purple hint
Each answer begins with the sound or spelling of a possessive determiner; the words are “his” or “hers” to begin with, then left where they belong.
One-word prompts
- FOUR-LETTER WORDS
- MOUSE
- MESH SHIRT
- MYSTERY
Answers for Tuesday, September 2
| Color | Category | Words | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | CURSES | EXPLETIVES, FOUR-LETTER WORDS, PROFANITY, SWEARING | All describe rude or forbidden language. |
| Green | IN “A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS” | CHRISTMAS, HOUSE, MOUSE, STIRRING | These words appear in the poem also known as “The Night Before Christmas.” |
| Blue | WORN BY EARRING MAGIC KEN | EARRING, MESH SHIRT, NECKLACE, PLEATHER VEST | They are the recognizable clothing and accessories of Earring Magic Ken, a short-lived 1992 Ken variant. |
| Purple | STARTING WITH POSSESSIVE DETERMINERS | HERRING, HISTAMINE, MYSTERY, OUROBOROS | They begin with her-, his-, my- and our-, respectively: “her-ring,” “his-tamine,” “my-stery” and “our-oboros.” |
Why this grid is especially tricky
The holiday-poem group hides in ordinary words
CHRISTMAS, HOUSE, MOUSE and STIRRING look like broad seasonal vocabulary. Their precise connection is that they occur in “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” so recognizing the poem is more useful than looking for a general Christmas theme.
The blue group depends on niche Barbie knowledge
Earring Magic Ken was a 1992 Ken design remembered for an earring, mesh shirt, necklace and pleather vest. Without that cultural reference, the four items can seem unrelated or invite misleading fashion groupings.
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The purple group is sound-based wordplay
HERRING, HISTAMINE, MYSTERY and OUROBOROS do not share a normal semantic category. Reading their openings as her, his, my and our reveals the possessive-determiner pattern.
A safer solving approach for this puzzle
- Lock the obvious language set: EXPLETIVES, FOUR-LETTER WORDS, PROFANITY and SWEARING form the curses group.
- Test exact references, not broad themes: Check whether CHRISTMAS, HOUSE, MOUSE and STIRRING belong to a specific text rather than simply “holiday words.”
- Look for a named character or design: EARRING, MESH SHIRT, NECKLACE and PLEATHER VEST point to Earring Magic Ken.
- Inspect word beginnings: The remaining HERRING, HISTAMINE, MYSTERY and OUROBOROS resolve through her-, his-, my- and our-.
Where to play
Connections is available through The New York Times website and Games app. Each daily puzzle goes live at midnight local time. An archive is available to All Access or Games subscribers.
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