NYT Connections #817: Hints And Answers To Crack September 5 Puzzle

(MENAFN- Live Mint) If Friday's Connections has you stuck, you are not alone. Puzzle #817 (September 5, 2025) comes with some tricky groupings. The New York Times launched Connections back in June 2023, and it has grown into one of the paper's most popular daily word games. The goal is to sort 16 words into four themed groups, and you only get four mistakes before the game ends.

Today's themes cut across food, freedom, the animal world, and Chinese history.

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NYT Connections today: Hints for September 5 puzzle

Yellow group hint: That little something extra

Green group hint: Staying unattached

Blue group hint: Just like bulls and ganders

Purple group hint: Think back to imperial rule in the East

If hints are not enough, a single word from each set might get you there:

Yellow group word: Kick

Green group word: Free

Blue group word: Billy

Purple group word: Han

These examples point straight toward the larger theme of each category. Once you see the pattern, the rest of the words usually fall into place.

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NYT Connections today: Full solution for September 5

Here is how the puzzle breaks down:

Yellow group (Piquancy): Kick, punch, zest, zing

Green group (Available): Free, single, solo, stag

Blue group (Male animals): Billy, buck, jack, ram

Purple group (Chinese dynasties): Han, Ming, Song, Tang

That is the full set for September 5. If you pieced it together without help, congratulations. If not, don't worry-tomorrow brings a fresh grid and another shot.

What is NYT Connections?

Connections is The New York Times' daily word sorter, created by associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu. You get 16 words and one job: sort them into four tight groups of four. Categories can be straightforward or sneaky, and a few words sit on the fence to throw you off. It can be played in the browser or the NYT Games app.

How to play NYT Connections

Look over all 16 words first. Don't rush.

Spot obvious pairs, then hunt for two more that fit the same idea.

Select four words and submit. If you are right, they lock in.

Colors mark difficulty: Yellow is the easiest, then green, and blue. Purple is the trickiest.

You get four strikes in total, so test carefully.

Use Shuffle to see new patterns when your brain stalls.

Watch out for traps like synonyms, double meanings, and words that fit more than one group.

Keep refining sets until all four categories click.

FAQsHow many mistakes are allowed in Connections?

Players can make up to four mistakes before the game ends.

What was the yellow group today?

Kick, punch, zest, and zing were part of the yellow group in NYT Connections.

Which category included“Billy”?

The blue group included the word 'Billy'.

What were the purple group words?

Han, Ming, Song, and Tang were part of the group, all of them referring to Chinese dynasties.

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