NYT Connections Hints Today (16 September, 2025) #828 Solutions

Looking for NYT Connections hints and answers for September 16, 2025? Today's puzzle #828 features four challenging categories: Keep tabs on (yellow), One in a dozen (green), Things with ink (blue), and _ Rabbit (purple). We've got complete solutions, expert strategies, and detailed hints to help you solve this moderately difficult word puzzle.

Key Information Summary

Category	Color	Difficulty	Words
Keep tabs on	Yellow	Easiest	FOLLOW, MONITOR, TRACK, WATCH
One in a dozen	Green	Moderate	DONUT, JUROR, MONTH, ROSE
Things with ink	Blue	Hard	PEN, PRINTER, SQUID, TATTOO MACHINE
_ Rabbit	Purple	Hardest	ROGER, TRIX, VELVETEEN, WHITE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is The New York Times' popular word association game that challenges players to find common threads between 16 words arranged in a 4×4 grid. Launched in June 2023, the game was created by associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu and has quickly become a daily ritual for puzzle enthusiasts, similar to the viral success of Wordle.

Each puzzle features four categories of increasing difficulty:

• Yellow: The most straightforward category
• Green: Moderately challenging connections
• Blue: More complex associations
• Purple: The most difficult and often clever category

Players must identify all four words in each category without making more than four mistakes. The game resets daily at midnight, offering a fresh challenge every 24 hours.

Today's Connections Categories & Hints (16 September, 2025)

Yellow Category: Keep tabs on

• Hint: Think about the duties of the FBI or surveillance activities
• Alternative hint: To hunt or monitor something closely

This category represents actions related to observation and tracking, similar to how law enforcement might keep watch on subjects.

Green Category: One in a dozen

• Hint: Think about items grouped by specific number
• Alternative hint: After 11 or things found in twelve

This category connects items that typically come in sets of twelve or represent one unit from a dozen.

Blue Category: Things with ink

• Hint: Think about objects with marking liquids
• Alternative hint: They have pigmented dye

This category brings together items that either contain, use, or produce ink in some form.

Purple Category: _ Rabbit

• Hint: Think about long-eared characters
• Alternative hint: "It's _ season!" or famous bunnies

This clever category features famous rabbit characters from pop culture, with each word completing the phrase "_ Rabbit."

Complete Answers for Today's Connections (16 September, 2025)

🟨 Yellow: Keep tabs on

• FOLLOW
• MONITOR
• TRACK
• WATCH

Why these words connect: All four words relate to the act of observing, monitoring, or keeping track of something or someone over time. This is the most straightforward category, making it perfect for starting your puzzle-solving journey.

🟩 Green: One in a dozen

• DONUT (A baker's dozen is 13, but donuts are commonly sold by the dozen)
• JUROR (There are typically 12 jurors on a jury)
• MONTH (There are 12 months in a year)
• ROSE (A dozen roses is a classic romantic gift)

Why these words connect: Each word represents something that's commonly associated with the number twelve or sold/organized in dozens.

🟦 Blue: Things with ink

• PEN (Contains and dispenses ink for writing)
• PRINTER (Uses ink or toner to create documents)
• SQUID (Produces ink as a defense mechanism)
• TATTOO MACHINE (Uses ink to create permanent designs on skin)

Why these words connect: This diverse category brings together items from nature, technology, and art that all involve ink in some capacity.

🟪 Purple: _ Rabbit

• ROGER (Roger Rabbit from the famous film)
• TRIX (Trix Rabbit from cereal commercials)
• VELVETEEN (The Velveteen Rabbit from the classic children's book)
• WHITE (White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland)

Why these words connect: Each word completes the name of a famous rabbit character from movies, literature, or advertising.

Difficulty Analysis

Today's Connections puzzle has a moderate difficulty level, with ratings varying between sources:

• New York Times Official: 2.3 out of 5
• Beebom: 4 out of 5
• Average difficulty: Medium

The puzzle presents a balanced challenge with the yellow category being relatively straightforward, while the purple category requires pop culture knowledge to recognize the famous rabbit references.

Expert Strategies for Solving Connections

Beginner Tips

1. Start with Yellow: Always begin with the easiest category (yellow) to build momentum and eliminate words from the board.
2. Look for Obvious Pairs: If you see two words that clearly belong together (like FOLLOW and MONITOR), look for their partners.
3. Use the Shuffle Button: The Connections editor often places misleading words at the top. Shuffling can help you see new patterns.
4. Count Your Mistakes: Remember you only have four mistakes before the game ends, so guess carefully.

Advanced Strategies

1. Think Laterally: Some connections aren't obvious. For example, "things with ink" might make you think only of writing implements, but it includes animals and machines too.
2. Consider Multiple Meanings: Words like "monitor" can be a verb (to watch) or a noun (a screen), so consider all possibilities.
3. Pop Culture Knowledge: The purple category often requires knowledge of movies, books, or other cultural references.
4. Process of Elimination: If you're stuck, try eliminating words that clearly don't belong together.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overthinking: Sometimes the simplest connection is the correct one. Don't assume every category is incredibly complex.
2. Ignoring Context: Consider how words might relate in different contexts (professional, casual, scientific, etc.).
3. Rushing: Take your time to consider all possibilities before submitting a guess.
4. Forgetting Previous Days' Patterns: While each puzzle is unique, understanding common category types can help you recognize patterns.

Platform-Specific Information

Mobile vs. Desktop

• Mobile: Offers the same gameplay with touch controls, perfect for solving on the go
• Desktop: Provides a larger view of the grid, which some players find easier for spotting patterns

Accessibility Features

• Color Blind Mode: Available in settings for players who have difficulty distinguishing colors
• Large Text Option: Makes words easier to read for visually impaired players

FAQ

What time does NYT Connections reset?

NYT Connections resets at midnight in your local time zone, with new puzzles available daily.

How many mistakes can I make in Connections?

You can make up to four mistakes before the game ends and you lose.

Can I play previous Connections puzzles?

Yes, you can access past puzzles through the Connections archive on the New York Times Games website.

What do the different colors mean in Connections?

The colors represent difficulty levels: Yellow (easiest), Green (moderate), Blue (hard), and Purple (hardest).

Is there a Connections app?

Connections is available through the New York Times Games app, which includes other popular puzzles like Wordle and Spelling Bee.

How is difficulty determined?

The New York Times employs testers who solve each puzzle in advance and rate it on a scale of 1-5 based on how challenging they found it.

Can I share my results?

Yes, like Wordle, you can share your Connections results on social media without revealing the answers.

What does "One Away" mean?

"One Away" means you've correctly identified three out of four words in a category, but one word doesn't belong.

Related Content

Looking for more puzzle challenges? Check out these popular alternatives:

• Wordle: The original viral word-guessing game
• Spelling Bee: Create words from seven letters
• Mini Crossword: Quick daily crossword puzzle
• Strands: The newest NYT word puzzle game

Pro Tips for Tomorrow's Puzzle

1. Stay Curious: Pay attention to word patterns and connections in your daily life
2. Read Widely: Exposure to different topics helps with the diverse category themes
3. Practice Regularly: Like any skill, puzzle-solving improves with consistent practice
4. Join the Community: Discussing puzzles with others can reveal new solving strategies

Conclusion

Today's Connections puzzle for September 16, 2025, offers a satisfying challenge with its mix of straightforward observation terms, numerical groupings, ink-related objects, and pop culture rabbit characters. Whether you solved it quickly or needed some hints, remember that tomorrow brings a fresh puzzle and new opportunities to exercise your word association skills.

Keep practicing, stay curious, and most importantly, have fun with these daily brain teasers. The beauty of Connections lies in its ability to surprise and delight us with clever word associations we might never have considered otherwise.

Bookmark this page and come back tomorrow for fresh hints and answers to the next Connections puzzle. Happy solving!