Connections Hints

Friday, September 19, 2025

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — September 19, 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.

BLUSH
CLIP
DYE
FIDGET
GRADE
MASCARA
NOSE
PACE
RANK
RATE
SCORE
STOCKINGS
SWEAT
TIGER
TOWEL
TRAIL
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Themes

The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.

EVALUATEStraightforward
EXHIBIT NERVOUSNESSModerate
THINGS THAT CAN RUN, ANNOYINGLYTricky
PAPER ___Devious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

EVALUATEStraightforward
WHAT A TEACHER DOES TO YOUR TEST+ 3 more…
EXHIBIT NERVOUSNESSModerate
SIGNS YOUR BODY IS GIVING AWAY YOUR ANXIETY+ 3 more…
THINGS THAT CAN RUN, ANNOYINGLYTricky
THINGS YOU DON'T WANT LEAKING OR SPREADING WHEN WET+ 3 more…
PAPER ___Devious
PRECEDES A COMMON WORD TO MAKE A FAMILIAR COMPOUND+ 3 more…
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Full solution
EVALUATEStraightforward
GRADE,RANK,RATE,SCORE

GRADE, RANK, RATE, and SCORE all mean to assess or evaluate something, like judging a performance or marking an exam.

EXHIBIT NERVOUSNESSModerate
BLUSH,FIDGET,PACE,SWEAT

BLUSH, FIDGET, PACE, and SWEAT are all physical behaviors that reveal someone is nervous or anxious.

THINGS THAT CAN RUN, ANNOYINGLYTricky
DYE,MASCARA,NOSE,STOCKINGS

DYE, MASCARA, NOSE, and STOCKINGS can all 'run' in an unwanted or annoying way — dye bleeds in the wash, mascara streaks, a nose runs when you're sick, and stockings get runs in them.

PAPER ___Devious
CLIP,TIGER,TOWEL,TRAIL

CLIP, TIGER, TOWEL, and TRAIL all follow 'PAPER' to form compound words or phrases: paper clip, paper tiger, paper towel, paper trail.

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