Looking for the NYT Connections answers for Thursday, August 28? This guide covers the historical Thursday, August 28, 2025 puzzle, Connections #809. Start with the spoiler-free hints, then reveal the full groups and explanations when you are ready.
These are the NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, August 28, 2025, game #809. The puzzle’s groups are built around places where something can get trapped, things used for tea, things associated with hardness, and words ending in keyboard-key names.
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Because August 28, 2025 was a Thursday—and August 28, 2026 is a Friday—this guide covers the historical puzzle identified as Connections #809, not a current August 28, 2026 game.
How to play NYT Connections
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Each group has a shared connection. The categories are color-coded by difficulty:
#1 Best Overall
- Yellow: usually the most straightforward group
- Green: moderately challenging
- Blue: often more specific or knowledge-based
- Purple: usually the trickiest, frequently involving wordplay
You can make up to four mistakes, so it is worth looking for a group that is exact rather than merely plausible. In this puzzle, several words create convincing decoys, especially NET, WEB, SNARE, KETTLE, and STEEL.
Hints for Thursday, August 28
Need a nudge but not the solution? Here are the category clues, from the most accessible to the most indirect:
- Yellow: Places where something could get trapped
- Green: Items or substances used for tea
- Blue: Things associated with being hard or hardness
- Purple: Words that end with the name of a keyboard key
One-word hints
For a smaller clue, one representative word from each group is:
Rank #2
- Yellow: TANGLE
- Green: WATER
- Blue: NAILS
- Purple: MAKESHIFT
Spoiler warning: Connections #809 answers
The complete groups and all 16 answers are below. Stop here if you only wanted hints.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Yellow — PLACES TO GET TRAPPED
- NET
- SNARE
- TANGLE
- WEB
A net, snare, tangle, or web can all catch or entangle a person, animal, or object. NET and WEB are especially deceptive because they can also suggest internet-related concepts, but their relevant meaning here is something that can hold or ensnare.
Green — USED FOR TEA
- CUP
- KETTLE
- TEABAG
- WATER
These are the basic objects or ingredients used to prepare or serve tea. The category is deliberately broad: it includes both equipment, such as a KETTLE, and consumables, such as a TEABAG and WATER.
Blue — ASSOCIATED WITH HARDNESS
- DIAMOND
- NAILS
- ROCK
- STEEL
DIAMOND, ROCK, and STEEL are commonly associated with hard, durable materials. NAILS fits through the familiar expression “hard as nails.” The group is based on conventional associations with hardness rather than a single technical material-science category.
Purple — ENDING WITH KEYBOARD KEYS
- CANTAB — ends in TAB
- CYBERSPACE — ends in SPACE
- ICECAPS — ends in CAPS
- MAKESHIFT — ends in SHIFT
This is the puzzle’s wordplay group. Each answer ends with a name associated with a keyboard key: TAB, SPACE, CAPS (as in Caps Lock), or SHIFT.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →CANTAB is the unusual entry. It refers to someone associated with study at the University of Cambridge, but that definition is not needed to solve the group. The important detail is the ending TAB. Likewise, the ordinary meanings of CYBERSPACE, ICECAPS, and MAKESHIFT are distractions from their final letter sequences.
The complete 16-word grid
For reference, the full grid for Connections #809 was:
CYBERSPACE, KETTLE, ROCK, SNARE, STEEL, MAKESHIFT, WEB, WATER, ICECAPS, NET, CUP, DIAMOND, TANGLE, TEABAG, CANTAB, NAILS.
Why this puzzle was tricky
The yellow group has several words that look like they might form a broader “trap” or object category, while NET and WEB can pull your thinking toward the internet. The green group also mixes an item used to make tea with something served in a cup, which may make the category feel less precise at first.
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- Find hundreds of words in an easy to read format - Some words you'll spot easily, but you'll have to search hard for others.
- A wide range of puzzle topics, including movies, actors, sports, cars, and more!
- Variations on the standard word search puzzles are included for extra challenge.
- Answer key in the back of the book.
- Spiral bound, 192 pages.
The biggest obstacle is the purple group. Most players first look for relationships based on what the words mean. Here, the connection appears only when you examine how the words end. Once CANTAB is recognized as ending in TAB, the otherwise unusual set becomes much easier to identify: SPACE, CAPS, and SHIFT are all keyboard-key terms as well.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Want more puzzles?
If you enjoy the four-groups format, an unofficial Connections puzzle book or another collection of offline 16-word connection puzzles can provide more games away from a screen. Check the specific listing carefully before buying: third-party books should not be assumed to be official New York Times products, and availability, pricing, and product details can change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Connections answer for Thursday, August 28, 2025?
The NYT Connections puzzle for Thursday, August 28, 2025 was game #809. Its groups were places to get trapped; things used for tea; things associated with hardness; and words ending with keyboard-key names.
What was the purple group in Connections #809?
The purple answers were CANTAB, CYBERSPACE, ICECAPS, and MAKESHIFT. They end with TAB, SPACE, CAPS, and SHIFT, respectively.
Why is CANTAB in the Connections puzzle?
CANTAB ends with TAB, which is the relevant keyboard-key name. Its ordinary definition is not needed to solve the group.
The Bottom Line
The answers for NYT Connections #809 on Thursday, August 28, 2025 are: NET, SNARE, TANGLE, WEB (places to get trapped); CUP, KETTLE, TEABAG, WATER (used for tea); DIAMOND, NAILS, ROCK, STEEL (associated with hardness); and CANTAB, CYBERSPACE, ICECAPS, MAKESHIFT (ending with keyboard keys).
Quick Recap
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