NYT Connections puzzle #838 for Friday, September 26, 2025, groups 16 words into four sets of four. Start with the gentle clues below; the complete categories and answers appear farther down for spoiler control.
Gentle hints: Yellow involves energetic kitchen mixing, green describes things that are difficult to see clearly, blue consists of bear types, and purple completes a phrase beginning with “dirty.”
Hints for Connections #838
Yellow hint
Look for four verbs that describe vigorous mixing in a recipe.
Green hint
These words can describe something weak, faint or barely perceptible.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →#1 Best Overall
Blue hint
Find four kinds of bears. One is a less obvious compound name associated with the sun.
Purple hint
Each answer can follow the word “dirty” to form a familiar expression.
The 16 words in the September 26 puzzle
The board contains:
BLONDE, SUN, WORD, PALE, DIM, CREAM, BROWN, RICE, BLACK, LIGHT, FAINT, BEAT, WHISK, POLAR, POOL, WHIP.
Connections #838 answers
Spoilers from this point onward.
| Color | Category | Words | How the group works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Stir vigorously | BEAT, CREAM, WHIP, WHISK | All four are energetic mixing actions used in cooking instructions. |
| Green | Hard to make out | DIM, FAINT, LIGHT, PALE | Each can describe something weak, subdued or difficult to see clearly. |
| Blue | Kinds of bears | BLACK, BROWN, POLAR, SUN | Black bear, brown bear, polar bear and sun bear are the four animal names. |
| Purple | Dirty ____ | BLONDE, POOL, RICE, WORD | They complete “dirty blonde,” “dirty pool,” “dirty rice” and “dirty word.” |
Why this grid is tricky
The main trap is overlap between words that look like colors, shades or descriptions of light. BLONDE, BROWN, BLACK, LIGHT and PALE can initially suggest hair, color or brightness rather than their final groups.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A productive way through the grid is to lock in the most literal action words first: BEAT, CREAM, WHIP and WHISK all point to vigorous mixing. The faintness group then becomes clearer with DIM, FAINT, LIGHT and PALE. Once BLACK and BROWN are recognized as bear names, POLAR and the less familiar SUN complete the blue set. The remaining four words form the “DIRTY ____” phrases.
A spoiler-safe solving plan
- Scan for unmistakable word classes. Recipe actions such as BEAT, WHIP and WHISK are stronger evidence than broad color associations.
- Test literal meanings before phrases. DIM, FAINT, LIGHT and PALE share the idea of weak or unclear visibility.
- Check compound names. SUN may look unrelated until you read it as “sun bear.”
- Use phrase completion last. BLONDE, POOL, RICE and WORD become decisive when placed after “dirty.”
- Submit only after checking overlaps. Connections allows three incorrect guesses; a fourth mistake ends the game.
How Connections works
Connections is a free daily word game from The New York Times. Each puzzle presents a 16-item grid that must be divided into four groups of four. The groups are color-coded by typical difficulty: yellow is generally the most direct, while purple often relies on wordplay or a phrase connection. You can play in a browser or through the NYT Games app.
Red herrings are part of the design. A word may seem to fit several groups, so the intended category is the one that accounts for exactly four entries without forcing an exception.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems
