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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsNYT Connections game #842 was published on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The guide below starts with spoiler-controlled hints, then reveals the categories and full answers. The puzzle’s main traps are the overlapping WOOD entries and a purple group based on number sounds.
This guide covers NYT Connections game #842 from Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The puzzle contains several misleading WOOD-related possibilities, plus a wordplay group built around number homophones. If you want to solve it yourself, start with the hints below. The category names and complete answers appear farther down the page.
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The 16 words in the September 30, 2025 grid
Here is the full word bank, without the solution groups:
- WOOD
- THEREFORE
- WOODY
- GUTHRIE
- WOODSTOCK
- CLASSICS
- CHUCK
- STIFF
- COULD
- WOODEN
- CREATE
- FOGHORN
- AWKWARD
- WOODCHUCK
- SCROOGE
- STILTED
Spoiler-free hints
Try to identify the four groups before moving on. These clues become progressively more specific, but they do not give away the word sets outright.
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Yellow-group hint
Think of a way Tina Belcher might describe a person’s mannerisms.
Green-group hint
Say the beginning of this group three times quickly. It points toward a familiar tongue twister.
Blue-group hint
These are animated characters of the avian variety.
Purple-group hint
Each entry ends with a sound associated with a number.
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Spoilers: the Connections categories
Stop here if you only wanted the hints. The four categories for game #842 were:
- Yellow: Unnatural, as mannerisms
- Green: Words in a famous tongue twister
- Blue: Cartoon birds
- Purple: Ending with number homophones
Full answers for NYT Connections on September 30, 2025
Yellow: UNNATURAL, AS MANNERISMS
AWKWARD, STIFF, STILTED, WOODEN
These words can all describe behavior or mannerisms that do not seem relaxed or natural. “Wooden” is the trap: it looks as though it might belong with the other WOOD entries, but here it is being used as a description of a person’s performance or movements.
Green: WORDS IN A FAMOUS TONGUE TWISTER
CHUCK, COULD, WOOD, WOODCHUCK
The words come from the familiar tongue twister beginning, “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck …” The group uses the forms that appear in the grid, including COULD rather than “would.”
Blue: CARTOON BIRDS
FOGHORN, SCROOGE, WOODSTOCK, WOODY
These entries point to Foghorn Leghorn, Scrooge McDuck, Woodstock and Woody Woodpecker. The category is deliberately broad: the characters come from different animated worlds, but each is an avian cartoon character.
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Purple: ENDING WITH NUMBER HOMOPHONES
CLASSICS, CREATE, GUTHRIE, THEREFORE
This is the puzzle’s wordplay category rather than a normal semantic group. The endings sound like number names:
| Grid entry | Ending sound | Number |
|---|---|---|
| CLASSICS | “classic-six” | six |
| CREATE | “creat-eight” | eight |
| GUTHRIE | “Guthrie-three” | three |
| THEREFORE | “there-four” | four |
The grid spelling is GUTHRIE. That is the spelling to use when checking the answer, even though an occasional secondary reference may render the name differently.
Why this puzzle was tricky
The repeated WOOD sounds create several convincing false connections. WOOD appears to fit naturally with WOODY, WOODSTOCK and WOODEN. In the actual solution, however, WOOD belongs with CHUCK, COULD and WOODCHUCK because of the tongue twister.
WOODY belongs in the cartoon-bird group, while WOODEN belongs with the words describing unnatural mannerisms. Once those decoys are removed, the less obvious purple group becomes easier to isolate. Its entries are linked by sound, not meaning, which is typical of a more difficult Connections category.
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What is NYT Connections?
Connections is a daily New York Times word game. Players receive 16 words and must arrange them into four groups of four. Each group has a shared connection, and the categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is generally the most straightforward, while purple is usually the most challenging.
You can check the official New York Times Games website or app for current game access. Statistics and streak features are available through the Games experience, while access to older puzzles can depend on the reader’s account, platform and current subscription terms. Do not assume that the September 30, 2025 puzzle is playable for every visitor simply because its answer is listed here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Offline practice
Readers who prefer solving away from a screen can search for an NYT Connections puzzle book or a broader New York Times word-puzzle book. Treat this as an optional offline alternative rather than a source for this September 30 answer, and verify the publisher, licensing, listing details and current availability before buying. Product listings and stock status can change.
Date clarification
The phrase “September 30” is ambiguous without a year. This answer guide is specifically for Tuesday, September 30, 2025, game #842. It is not the September 30, 2024 puzzle, which had entirely different categories, including cooking methods, perfume ingredients, characters with pet dogs and capital-city homophones.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Connections answer for September 30, 2025?
The September 30, 2025 NYT Connections puzzle was game #842. Its groups were unnatural mannerisms, words in a famous tongue twister, cartoon birds and words ending with number homophones.
What was the purple category in Connections on September 30, 2025?
The four entries were CLASSICS, CREATE, GUTHRIE and THEREFORE. Their endings sound like six, eight, three and four, respectively.
Is this the same puzzle as September 30, 2024?
No. The year matters. This guide covers September 30, 2025; the September 30, 2024 puzzle had different categories and answers.
The Bottom Line
The September 30, 2025 NYT Connections answers were AWKWARD, STIFF, STILTED, WOODEN; CHUCK, COULD, WOOD, WOODCHUCK; FOGHORN, SCROOGE, WOODSTOCK, WOODY; and CLASSICS, CREATE, GUTHRIE, THEREFORE.
Quick Recap
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