This is the archived answer guide for NYT Connections game #839, played Saturday, September 27, 2025. Try the hints first if you want to solve the board yourself; the full groups are below a spoiler warning.
Hints for Connections #839
The 16 tiles were FLIPPER, FRITTER, THROW, KETTLE, TENDER, WING, TRIFLE, POPPER, ARM, WARM, MICROWAVE, FIDDLE, STOVETOP, KIND, FIN, and SWEET.
- Yellow: Affectionate.
- Green: Body attachments.
- Blue: Just add heat.
- Purple: Wasted opportunity.
Full answers for September 27 (spoilers)
Stop here if you still want to solve the puzzle. Each group below contains four words connected by a shared idea.
Yellow — LOVING
KIND, SWEET, TENDER, WARM
Green — APPENDAGES
ARM, FIN, FLIPPER, WING
Blue — POPCORN-MAKING METHODS
KETTLE, MICROWAVE, POPPER, STOVETOP
Purple — SQUANDER, WITH “AWAY”
FIDDLE, FRITTER, THROW, TRIFLE
How the groups fit
The affectionate descriptors form the yellow set, while the green words name extensions or parts of a body. The blue words are methods or appliances used to make popcorn. For purple, pair each verb with “away”: fiddle away, fritter away, throw away, and trifle away—all can express wasting or squandering something.
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POPPER is the correct tile in the popcorn group. Parade’s answer page prints PEPPER, but TechRadar and Try Hard Guides independently give POPPER, which also appears in the puzzle’s tile list.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A quick way to approach a Connections board
Look for a small cluster of words that appear to share a category, then test whether a fourth tile completes it. Before submitting, check that all four words fit the same connection and that one of them is not a tempting overlap with another possible group. Connections allows up to four mistakes, according to Try Hard Guides.
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