NYT Connections Serves Up Puzzle #821 Hints and Answers

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2025 - The New York Times’ daily word-association game Connections challenged solvers with puzzle #821, offering four thematic groups to decode across a 4x4 grid today.

Nut Graf: Today’s Connections puzzle guided players with concise category clues-Finished, Shells, Swig, and *___DOG*-before revealing the full set of solutions to help enthusiasts maintain their winning streak.

Hints for Today’s Categories

  • Yellow: Words that mean Finished
  • Green: Items with Shells
  • Blue: Informal verbs for taking a quick Drink (“Swig”)
  • Purple: Common compound words ending with “Dog”

Official Answers for Puzzle #821

  • Yellow - FINISHED
    • COMPLETE
    • DONE
    • OVER
    • THROUGH
  • Green - THINGS WITH SHELLS
    • EGG
    • HARD TACO
    • M&M
    • SNAIL
  • Blue - SWIG (DRINK)
    • BELT
    • GULP
    • SHOT
    • SLUG
  • **Purple - ___DOG**
    • BULL
    • LAP
    • UNDER
    • WATCH

Puzzle Difficulty and Player Tips

The Times rates today’s challenge at a moderate difficulty, with the Finished and Swig groups widely solved first. Seasoned solvers recommend starting with the easiest color-coded set and using the shuffle feature to spot hidden connections. Confirm your strongest grouping before submitting to avoid losing one of four allowed attempts.

Solvers can revisit past puzzles in the Connections archive on the NYT Games page, perfect for practice or analysis of recurring themes.