This guide covers New York Times Connections puzzle #836 for Wednesday, September 24, 2025. If you want to attempt the grid first, start with the color-coded hints below. The full categories and grouped answers follow. You can play the daily puzzle on the official Connections page at nytimes.com/games/connections.

Connections #836 hints by color (no spoilers)

Color Hint
Yellow Synonyms for “movie.”
Green Verbs meaning “to scatter randomly.”
Blue Things known for being wrinkled.
Purple Words that complete the phrase “sweet ____.”

Connections #836 full answers (categories and groups)

Color Category Grouped words (4)
Yellow Movie synonyms Feature, Film, Flick, Picture
Green “Strew” synonyms Litter, Pepper, Scatter, Sprinkle
Blue Wrinkled things Brain, Crepe Paper, Prune, Shar Pei
Purple Completes “sweet ____” Potato, Sixteen, Talk, Tooth

What stood out in today’s grid

Yellow and Green align with common vocabulary patterns and are comparatively quick once you see the verbs in Green all point to “strew.” Blue groups disparate items by a shared physical trait—wrinkling—which can be easy to overlook until one example (e.g., Shar Pei or prune) cues the rest. Purple is the trickiest: the “sweet ____” pattern feels arbitrary until the phrase lock-in happens, after which all four fall into place.

How NYT Connections works (quick refresher)

  • Each puzzle has 16 words that must be sorted into four sets of four by a shared theme.
  • Colors indicate intended difficulty: Yellow (easiest), Green (medium), Blue (harder), Purple (hardest).
  • You’re allowed up to four mistakes while solving. When a set is correct, it’s removed from the board and its category is revealed.
  • There’s one new puzzle each day. Signing in with a New York Times account lets you track your streak and results.

That’s #836. If you’re aiming to improve, practice spotting two-word phrases (like Purple) and semantic families (like verbs of scattering) early—those patterns often unlock the rest of the grid.