TL;DR
- NYT Connections challenges players to group 16 words into four thematic categories by color-coded difficulty
- Today’s puzzle features safeguarding, malware, gum brands, and NFL team logos categories
- Strategic shuffling and limited guesses require careful planning and pattern recognition
- Advanced techniques include looking for word relationships beyond surface meanings
- Daily practice with archives builds pattern recognition and solving efficiency

NYT Connections represents The New York Times’ innovative approach to daily word puzzles, offering a fresh mental challenge that complements their popular Wordle game. Each day presents a new grid of 16 carefully selected words that challenge your ability to identify hidden relationships and thematic connections. If you’re seeking immediate assistance with today’s specific puzzle, you’ve arrived at the perfect resource for comprehensive hints and solutions.
Our daily Connections answers provide strategic guidance to help you navigate the puzzle’s complexities while maintaining the satisfaction of discovery. Let’s dive directly into the hints and complete solutions for game #840 on September 28, 2025.
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections operates on a straightforward yet deceptively challenging premise: sixteen seemingly random words appear in a 4×4 grid configuration. Your objective involves identifying the four hidden categories that connect groups of four words each. The categories follow a progressive difficulty scale, with yellow representing the most accessible connections and purple demanding the most sophisticated pattern recognition.
The New York Times developed Connections to capture the viral success of Wordle while introducing deeper analytical challenges. This free puzzle game remains accessible across all devices, ensuring you can engage with daily challenges whether on mobile or desktop platforms.
Understanding the color-coded system proves essential for strategic solving. Yellow categories typically feature straightforward word associations, while green introduces moderate complexity. Blue categories challenge with more abstract connections, and purple demands specialized knowledge or creative thinking.
Hints for Today’s Connections Categories
Each Connections puzzle employs a sophisticated color-coding mechanism that directly correlates with challenge intensity. The progression begins with yellow as the most approachable category and culminates with purple presenting the most demanding conceptual leaps. Without proper preparation, even experienced solvers can find themselves struggling with today’s carefully crafted word relationships.
To streamline your solving experience, here are the specific NYT Connections hints for September 28’s categories:
- π¨ Yellow category hint β Verbal abuse
- π© Green category hint β Popular Christmas poem
- π¦ Blue category hint β Magic Ken’s wardrobe
- πͺ Purple category hint β Genitive constructions
Seeking additional cognitive challenges? Don’t overlook today’s NYT Strands hint and answer β it presents its own unique set of difficulties!
Spoiler Warning:
Scroll past this point AT YOUR OWN RISK. Major category hints and answers for today’s NYT Connections are below.
Check out Today’s Connections Categories
Here are the definitive NYT Connections categories for September 28, 2025:
- π¨ Yellow β Safeguarding
- π© Green β Malware
- π¦ Blue β Chewing Gums
- πͺ Purple β Logos of NFL teams
If this doesn’t match the puzzle you’re attempting, you might need yesterday’s solution. Consult our NYT Connections hints and answers for September 27, 2025, to resolve previous challenges.
Still working on today’s grid? Having trouble determining where each word belongs? Continue scrolling for the complete NYT Connections answers.
Answers for NYT Connections Today
The comprehensive solutions for Connections #840 are:
- π¨ BACKING: AEGIS, GUARD, PROTECTION, SHIELD
- π© MALICIOUS SOFTWARE: BACKDOOR, TROJAN HORSE, VIRUS, WORM
- π¦ GUM BRANDS: EXTRA, ICE BREAKERS, ORBIT, TRIDENT
- πͺ N.F.L. TEAM LOGOS: BUFFALO, FLEUR-DE-LIS, HORSESHOE, LIGHTNING BOLT

Craving more linguistic puzzles? Attempt today’s NYT Wordle and locate hints and solutions here if you require assistance, as many players do!
Difficulty Level for Today’s Connections
Drawing from extensive puzzle-solving expertise, I evaluate today’s Connections challenge at 3 out of 5 on the difficulty scale.
This rating system positions 5 as the maximum complexity and 1 as minimal challenge. Naturally, difficulty perception varies significantly among solvers, and you might discover today’s grid substantially more manageable or demanding than my assessment indicates.
The moderate difficulty stems from the malware category requiring technical knowledge, while NFL logos demand sports familiarity. Yellow’s safeguarding theme proves relatively accessible, and gum brands offer recognizable commercial references.
How to Play NYT Connections: Pro Strategies
While you likely understand Connections basics, these advanced techniques will elevate your solving efficiency and success rate:
- Embrace simplicity: Connections frequently employs ambiguous terminology designed to misdirect. Rather than overanalyzing individual words, search for fundamental relationships. For example, ‘DEER’ and ‘HUNT’ share obvious connections, while homophones like ‘DEAR’ and ‘DEER’ create additional complexity.
- Manage your attempts strategically: Connections restricts players to merely four guesses per puzzle. Avoid impulsive submissions and thoroughly evaluate potential groupings before committing to selections.
- Leverage the shuffle function: Utilize the Shuffle button as a tactical advantage. The puzzle editors intentionally position misleading words prominently. Activating shuffle redistributes terms, potentially revealing hidden patterns and thematic connections.
- Identify category types: Common Connections categories include synonyms, wordplay, pop culture references, and specialized knowledge domains.
- Watch for red herrings: Approximately 30% of words may fit multiple potential categories, designed specifically to challenge your deductive reasoning.
Most importantly, don’t become discouraged if today’s puzzle presents challenges. A brand new Connections grid awaits tomorrow, and we’ll return with additional expert guidance.
What is NYT Connections hint today?
Today’s NYT Connections category hints for September 28 are Yellow: Safeguarding, Green: Malware, Blue: Chewing Gums, and Purple: Logos of NFL teams.
What is today’s NYT Connections?
The Connections categories for September 28 are Yellow: backing, Green: malicious software, Blue: gum brands, and Purple: N.F.L. team logos.
What does ‘One Away’ mean in Connections?
‘One Away’ indicates you’ve successfully categorized three of the four words correctly, placing you extremely close to the solution with just one misclassified term.
What do different colors mean in Connections?
Every Connections puzzle organizes four categories by escalating difficulty through color coding. Yellow represents the most straightforward connections, while purple demands the highest level of analytical thinking. Consider yourself appropriately cautioned!
How to play past Connections games?
Fortunately, accessing previous NYT Connections puzzles requires minimal effort. Navigate directly to the Connections archives and select any historical date you wish to experience again!

Action Checklist
- Scan all 16 words for obvious thematic connections before making guesses
- Use shuffle function to break initial word positioning patterns
- Identify potential red herrings – words that could fit multiple categories
- Group words systematically, starting with yellow category connections
- Practice with archive puzzles to build pattern recognition skills
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