It’s almost the weekend, and it’s time for another invigorating round of NYT Connections. If you’re nursing a killer streak, you’ll want to keep that going with today’s puzzle, and fortunately, I’m here to help you. Below, I’ve outlined the best NYT Connections hints for today (#817), as well as the answers, if you want the fastest solution possible.
Being a bit of a Star Wars nerd, today’s NYT Connections hints excited me, but once again, it was a case of the puzzle throwing a curveball to subvert expectations. Read on to get the NYT Connections clues you need to resolve today’s puzzle.
What is NYT Connections?
It would be remiss of me not to give a little foundational backstory before leaping into today’s NYT Connections clues and hints.
In June 2023, NYT Connections emerged as yet another game in the ever-growing New York Times lineup. This title soared immediately, and it’s easy to see why. As a free-to-play, accessible New York Times game, NYT Connections is available to users worldwide and can be played on either desktop devices or via a mobile app.
Playing NYT Connections on your commute or while waiting for a coffee is a fantastic way to kill a few minutes.
But how do you play NYT Connections?
It’s relatively simple, and that’s why it’s the best New York Times game, in my opinion.
The NYT team will provide you with a grid of 16 words once a day. The only task left up to you is to sort those words into four groups of four by finding their commonalities. Every NYT Connections puzzle has just one solution, and some words might have a double meaning, so it can sometimes be tricky to figure out the answers.
It’s also important to stress that the words are color-coded: yellow, blue, green, and purple. That’s in order of difficulty from least to most difficult, too.
What’s critical here is that you get four guesses every day, and if you use those, your NYT Connections answers for today will be out of reach, as it’ll be game over.
Today’s NYT Connections Hints (September 5)
If you want to figure out today’s NYT Connections clues without getting the answers outright, I’ll get started with the words themselves. Perhaps just seeing the words here will be enough to spur your brain into action, and you’ll spot the trends immediately.
Here are the NYT Connections words from today’s puzzle, #817
- HAN
- SOLO
- FREE
- ZING
- RAM
- KICK
- STAG
- BUCK
- SINGLE
- SONG
- JACK
- TANG
- MING
- PUNCH
- BILLY
- ZEST
And here are the hints I can offer for today’s NYT Connections:
- Yellow –These words pack a sensory wallop—think of what gives a dish its lively edge or a personality its spark. You might find them in a food review or a boxing metaphor
- Green – These all describe someone flying solo—whether at a wedding, on a dating app, or just living that independent life. No plus-one required.
- Blue – These names belong to male animals, often used colloquially or in farming circles. If you’ve ever met a goat named Billy or a rabbit named Jack, you’re on the right track.
- Purple – These are not just history test answers—they’re the ruling houses that shaped centuries of Chinese civilization. Think dynasties that built walls, wrote poetry, and changed the course of empires.
Being a bit of a history buff, I appreciated the nod we got to the obvious above. Admittedly, this was one of the easiest NYT Connections puzzles this week, and it didn’t take too long to figure it out.
Here’s the final warning before we get to the NYT Connections answers for today, September 5.
Are you sure you want to scroll further?
Very well!
NYT Connections Answers for Today, September 5 (#817)
If you want to jump straight to the answers for today’s NYT Connections puzzle, I’ve got you covered:
- Yellow – KICK, PUNCH, ZEST, ZING
- Green – FREE, SINGLE, SOLO, STAG
- Blue – BILLY, BUCK, JACK, RAM
- Purple – HAN, MING, SONG, TANG
And here’s the visual solution for today’s NYT Connections:
When Does NYT Connections Reset?
That’s today’s puzzle, but if you want the next one, the game resets daily at midnight local time (that’s your local time). You’ll have 24 hours to complete the puzzle when midnight ticks over in your timezone.
How did you do? Did you get a perfect run? Let me know what your streak looks like on the Insider Gaming forum.
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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