Hints For Today
#814

NYT Connections Hints & Answers - #814 (Sep 02 2025)

Your second brain to mastering the NYT Connections puzzle with progressive hints, expert strategies, and complete solutions. Learn to solve like a pro.

Explanations & Common Pitfalls
Progressive Hint System
Expert Strategies Included

Yesterday's Connections Words, Hints & Answers

View Today's Connections
STIRRING
MYSTERY
CHRISTMAS
SWEARING
HOUSE
MOUSE
HERRING
EARRING
EXPLETIVES
PLEATHER VEST
OUROBOROS
NECKLACE
MESH SHIRT
FOUR-LETTER WORDS
HISTAMINE
PROFANITY
Connections Credit: New York Times

Progressive Hints for Connections #814 (September 2, 2025)

Get the level of help you need. Start with gentle nudges and reveal stronger hints as needed. Learn to solve puzzles, don't just get answers.

🟡 Yellow Group
Easy
Main Hint: PROFANITY
💡Gentle Hint
Think about words people say when upset

Show Stronger Hint

These are terms for rude offensive language

Show Direct Guidance

All mean the same as swear words
🟢 Green Group
Medium
Main Hint: CHRISTMAS
💡Gentle Hint
Think about a famous Santa poem

Show Stronger Hint

These appear in The Night Before Christmas

Show Direct Guidance

All are in A Visit from St Nicholas
🔵 Blue Group
Hard
Main Hint: EARRING
💡Gentle Hint
Think about a doll's fashion items

Show Stronger Hint

These were part of a famous doll's outfit

Show Direct Guidance

All were worn by Earring Magic Ken
🟣 Purple Group
Tricky
Main Hint: HISTAMINE
💡Gentle Hint
Think about words starting with my her his our

Show Stronger Hint

These begin with possessive ownership words

Show Direct Guidance

All start with my her his or our

Complete Answers & Explanations

Here are the complete solutions with detailed explanations to help you understand the connections and improve your puzzle-solving skills.

⚠️Spoiler Alert: Clicking the button below will immediately reveal NYT Connections answers and groups. Only proceed if you've finished solving with the hints above.

👉 Click To Reveal Answers For #814

🟡 Yellow Group
CURSES
EXPLETIVES
FOUR-LETTER WORDS
PROFANITY
SWEARING
💡Explanation
These words describe rude offensive language. Expletives are emotional outburst words. Four-letter words are short sharp swear words. Profanity shows disrespect for sacred things. Swearing is using bad words. They are all types of inappropriate language.
❗Common Pitfalls

People might mistake FOUR-LETTER WORDS for word length. PROFANITY might confuse with religious terms. SWEARING could be seen as making promises. EXPLETIVES is formal and not recognized. These words dont look alike making connection hard.

🧠 Strategic Insight

Look for language categories not specific words. Think of how adults describe bad language. This group is about inappropriate speech concepts. Words that mean the same thing often group together.

🟢 Green Group
IN A VISIT FROM ST NICHOLAS
CHRISTMAS
HOUSE
MOUSE
STIRRING
💡Explanation
These words come from The Night Before Christmas poem. Christmas is the celebrated holiday. House is where the family lives. Mouse is from not even a mouse. Stirring means moving around in the poem.
❗Common Pitfalls

CHRISTMAS might group with other holidays. MOUSE could be seen as an animal. STIRRING might be a cooking term. HOUSE is too common for many categories. The poem connection is specific and challenging.

🧠 Strategic Insight

Recognize words from famous stories or poems. This needs cultural knowledge of Christmas literature. Remembering key phrases helps solve this. Words are connected by appearing in the same poem.

🔵 Blue Group
WORN BY EARRING MAGIC KEN
EARRING
MESH SHIRT
NECKLACE
PLEATHER VEST
💡Explanation
These are fashion items from the Earring Magic Ken doll. He wore a single earring. His mesh shirt was see-through net material. His necklace was a silver chain. His pleather vest was plastic leather.
❗Common Pitfalls

EARRING and NECKLACE might group as jewelry. MESH SHIRT and PLEATHER VEST seem random. This is hard without 1990s toy knowledge. The hint word alone doesn't connect all items.

🧠 Strategic Insight

This tests pop culture knowledge. Fashion items that don't fit standard categories might be character costumes. Some puzzles include nostalgia from past decades.

🟣 Purple Group
STARTING WITH POSSESSIVE DETERMINERS
HERRING
HISTAMINE
MYSTERY
OUROBOROS
💡Explanation
Each word starts with letters forming possessive words. Herring starts with her. Histamine starts with his. Mystery starts with my. Ouroboros starts with our. The connection is spelling not meaning.
❗Common Pitfalls

HERRING might group as a fish. HISTAMINE might be medical term. MYSTERY could be book genre. OUROBOROS is an obscure symbol. The possessive beginning is very clever and easy to miss.

🧠 Strategic Insight

When words seem unrelated look for spelling patterns. Sound out the first few letters. This group is about word structure not definitions. Find common opening letter sequences. Think about how words are built.

How to Play NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a fun word puzzle where you find hidden patterns between words. Here's how to play in simple steps:

Step 1: Look at the 16 words

You'll see a grid with 16 words. These can be anything - objects, actions, concepts, or even names. Example below:
How to play nyt connections example

Step 2: Find groups of 4 words that share a connection

Look for words that belong together. The connection could be:
- Same category (like types of fruit)
- Common theme (like things related to space)
- Wordplay (like phrases that include "cold")
In our example, you might group:
🟨 FRUITS: APPLE, BANANA, ORANGE, GRAPE
🟩 VEGETABLES: CARROT, POTATO, TOMATO, LETTUCE
🟦 FLOWERS: ROSE, TULIP, DAISY, LILY
🟪 PETS: DOG, CAT, BIRD, FISH

Step 3: Select your group and submit

Click or tap on 4 words that you think belong together, then submit your guess. If correct, the words will be removed from the grid and grouped by color. If wrong, you'll get one strike.

Step 4: Find all 4 groups to win!

You have 4 strikes before the game ends. The groups have different difficulty levels:
🟨 Yellow (easiest)
🟩 Green (medium)
🟦 Blue (hard)
🟪 Purple (hardest)
Pro Tip: Some connections are tricky! Words might have multiple meanings. For example, "BATTERY" could be part of a group about electronics or about baseball. Think about different ways words can be connected!

Expert Solving Strategies

Learn how to improve your future NYT Connections solving skills

Start with Yellow


The yellow group is usually the most straightforward. Solve it first to build confidence.

Watch for Bait Words


Some words might fit multiple categories. Look for the most specific connection to crack a group.

Use the 3+1 Method


If you're confident about 3 words in a group, the 4th is likely correct too. Tested countless times.

The History of NYT Connections

NYT Connections is one of the newest additions to The New York Times' puzzle collection. Here's how it came to be:

June 12, 2023

Official Launch - NYT Connections was released to the public as the newest puzzle from The New York Times.

Creator: Wyna Liu

The Puzzle Mastermind - The game was created by Wyna Liu, a puzzle editor at The New York Times who specializes in crafting engaging word challenges.

Post-Wordle Era

Expanding the Puzzle Universe - Following the massive success of Wordle (acquired by NYT in 2022), Connections was part of The Times' strategy to offer more diverse daily puzzles.

Unique Niche

Filling a Gap - Unlike Wordle (single word guessing) or Crossword (broad knowledge), Connections specifically tests pattern recognition and word association skills.

Growing Popularity

Cult Following - The game quickly developed a dedicated fanbase who love its balance of accessibility and challenge, plus those satisfying "aha!" moments when discovering connections.

Ongoing Evolution

Constant Innovation - Liu and her team continue to refine the puzzle, introducing new types of connections and adjusting difficulty to keep the game fresh and engaging.

⚠️Hintsfor.today is an independent website and is not affiliated with The New York Times Company. Connections® is a registered trademark of The New York Times Company. All game materials and content are the property of The New York Times and are used for informational and educational purposes under the principles of fair use.

FAQ

How do NYT Connections hints work?

Our NYT Connections hints guide you toward the answer without giving it away. We provide clues for each color group, starting with a general category hint and then offering more specific suggestions, allowing you to solve the puzzle with just the right amount of help.

What makes your hints spoiler-free?

Our hints are designed to be spoiler-free by revealing information in stages. You only see the clues you choose to, ensuring the final answers remain hidden until you're ready to solve the group yourself or decide to see the solution.

When are daily hints updated?

The hints for NYT Connections, are updated every day shortly after the new connection is released, more presicely at 12 Midnight ( GMT-4). You can count on fresh, timely clues each morning to help you solve the latest challenge.

Who writes the tips on Hints for Today?

Our tips and hints are crafted by a team of puzzle enthusiasts and life-hack experts. We are passionate about problem-solving and dedicated to providing clear, effective, and trustworthy advice every day.
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