A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #815
hints & answers for September 3, 2025

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows September 3, 2025. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, D, G and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BIRTH belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BEGINNING

Reveal all four words
  • BIRTH
  • DAWN
  • GENESIS
  • START

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, C, F and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOND belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

JOIN

Reveal all four words
  • BOND
  • COMBINE
  • FUSE
  • WED

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, M, N and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ALF belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TV-RELATED ABBREVIATIONS IN THE '80S

Reveal all four words
  • ALF
  • MTV
  • NES
  • VHS

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

DAY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MAY___

Reveal all four words
  • DAY
  • FLOWER
  • FLY
  • POLE

Each entry comes after "MAY" to form a word, expression or name: DAY → MAY DAY; FLOWER → MAY FLOWER; FLY → MAY FLY; POLE → MAY POLE.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: BEGINNING
  • Green: JOIN
  • Blue: TV-RELATED ABBREVIATIONS IN THE '80S
  • Purple: MAY___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BEGINNING

BIRTH · DAWN · GENESIS · START

Green

JOIN

BOND · COMBINE · FUSE · WED

Blue

TV-RELATED ABBREVIATIONS IN THE '80S

ALF · MTV · NES · VHS

Purple

MAY___

DAY · FLOWER · FLY · POLE

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.