Connections Hints
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — September 9, 2025
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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid
All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.
BELT
BULL
COMPLETE
DONE
EGG
GULP
HARD TACO
LAP
M&M
OVER
SHOT
SLUG
SNAIL
THROUGH
UNDER
WATCH
Themes
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
FINISHEDStraightforward
THINGS WITH SHELLSModerate
SWIGTricky
___DOGDevious
One word per group
Theme name plus one word from each category.
FINISHEDStraightforward
ALL MEAN YOU'RE NO LONGER IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING+ 3 more…
THINGS WITH SHELLSModerate
EACH HAS A HARD OUTER LAYER PROTECTING WHAT'S INSIDE+ 3 more…
SWIGTricky
WAYS TO TAKE A QUICK DRINK+ 3 more…
___DOGDevious
EACH PRECEDES 'DOG' TO NAME A SPECIFIC TYPE+ 3 more…
Full solution
FINISHEDStraightforward
COMPLETE,DONE,OVER,THROUGH
COMPLETE, DONE, OVER, and THROUGH all mean finished or concluded.
THINGS WITH SHELLSModerate
EGG,HARD TACO,M&M,SNAIL
EGG, HARD TACO, M&M, and SNAIL all have shells or hard outer casings.
SWIGTricky
BELT,GULP,SHOT,SLUG
BELT, GULP, SHOT, and SLUG are all words meaning a quick drink or swig of something.
___DOGDevious
BULL,LAP,UNDER,WATCH
BULL, LAP, UNDER, and WATCH each combine with DOG to form BULLDOG, LAPDOG, UNDERDOG, and WATCHDOG.