Today’s Connections is live, and the editors have posted the usual spoiler-safe breadcrumbs. If you want to play first, you can open the grid in the New York Times Games app or on the web via the Connections page. If you’re stuck, here’s what’s officially revealed for Saturday (Sep 20).

Official Signals (from the NYT Companion)

  • Difficulty: 3.3/5 (as rated by testers)
  • One revealed word per color group:
    🟨 LINCOLN
    🟩 FRY
    🟦 DUCK
    🟪 ROCKET

Reminder: yellow is typically the most straightforward set, then green, blue, and purple. The final category often leans on wordplay or phrase completions rather than simple synonyms.

Clean Workflow to Solve

  • Start with synonyms: Often the yellow/green groups. If two words look alike in meaning, find two more to complete the set.
  • Check for phrase completions: Blue and purple usually hide “___ word” or “word ___” combos. FRY, DUCK, and ROCKET are heavy with phrase potential.
  • Watch double-duty decoys: e.g., DUCK (verb/noun), FRY (cooking method/juvenile fish).
  • Use “one away” feedback: Swap one word at a time among similar candidates.
  • Save purple for last: The hardest set often hinges on linguistic trickery.

Color-by-Color Nudges (No Spoilers)

  • 🟨 Yellow (LINCOLN): Think brands before biographies.
  • 🟩 Green (FRY): Don’t just chase food themes; check for true category fit.
  • 🟦 Blue (DUCK): Avoid broad “bird” or “action” groups; the real link is sharper.
  • 🟪 Purple (ROCKET): Fits neatly into two-word compounds.

Smart Checks Before You Submit

  • Part of speech test: Four verbs or four nouns often signal a group.
  • Swap test: Near-interchangeable words probably belong together.
  • Sense check: Don’t mix homonyms (e.g., “charge” as payment vs. attack).

One Toe-Hold Per Group

If you only want anchors without full spoilers:
🟨 LINCOLN | 🟩 FRY | 🟦 DUCK | 🟪 ROCKET

Full Hints and Answers (Spoilers Below)

Keeping your streak alive? Here are clean hints, then the full solution for Connections #832.

Category Hints (No Spoilers)

  • 🟨 Yellow: Automakers
  • 🟩 Green: Sports-bar side items
  • 🟦 Blue: Hockey franchise identities
  • 🟪 Purple: Words that attach to “sky”
    Herring watch: Bird words and “escape/avoid” ideas appear but don’t form groups.

Full Category Names

  • 🟨 Car Brands
  • 🟩 Bit of Sports Bar Fare
  • 🟦 N.H.L. Team Member
  • 🟪 Sky_____

Today’s Answers

  • 🟨 Car Brands: Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, Ram
  • 🟩 Sports Bar Fare: Chip, Dip, Fry, Wing
  • 🟦 NHL Team Member: Duck, Flyer, Senator, Star
  • 🟪 Sky_____: Dive, Lark, Rocket, Scraper

Why These Fit

  • Car Brands: Well-known American auto marques.
  • Sports Bar Fare: Common small plates/sides.
  • NHL Team Member: Singular forms of NHL franchises.
  • Sky_____: All form familiar compounds (skydive, skylark, skyrocket, skyscraper).

Quick Strategy Notes

  • Sort by parts of speech first — purple depends on compounds.
  • Test near-synonyms — DUCK and LARK tempt the bird path, but fit stronger in “Sky.”
  • Sports-adjacent words split into team names vs. menu items — that’s today’s key trap.

How Connections Works

The puzzle presents 16 words. Sort them into four groups of four linked by a common theme.

  • Colors = difficulty: 🟨 easiest → 🟪 hardest
  • Mistakes: 3 allowed; the 4th ends the run.
  • Play: Available on mobile and desktop via NYT Games.