NYT Connections Answer and Hints for 18 Sep 2025 – Puzzle #830

Stuck on today’s Connections? Below you’ll find an explanation of the puzzle, quick definitions for every word, gentle hints, the exact category titles, a single “nudge” word from each group, and (hidden) the complete solution.
Use the table of contents to jump to what you need.

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What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word grouping puzzle from The New York Times.
Your goal is to sort 16 words into 4 groups of 4, based on hidden connections.
Categories range from simple themes to clever wordplay, with some words acting as red herrings.

The 16 Words

Here are the 16 words, sorted alphabetically to avoid spoilers:

Able
Cane
Down
Eager
Eave
Equip
Game
NASA
NFL
NOAA
Outfit
Paramount
Prepare
Ready
Subaru
Willing

Definitions of the 16 Words

Able	Homophone of the biblical figure Abel; also means capable.
Cane	Homophone of Cain, biblical figure; also a walking stick or sugar cane.
Down	To agree or be “into it”; also soft feathers.
Eager	Keen or enthusiastic; “into it.”
Eave	Homophone of Eve, biblical figure; the edge of a roof.
Equip	To provide with necessary items.
Game	Willing or ready; also a contest or sport.
NASA	U.S. space agency with a starry logo.
NFL	National Football League; its logo features stars.
NOAA	Pronounced like “Noah” from Genesis; U.S. weather agency.
Outfit	To furnish or provide with equipment; also a set of clothes.
Paramount	Film studio with a mountain and stars in its logo.
Prepare	To get ready in advance.
Ready	Fully prepared or willing.
Subaru	Car manufacturer with a star cluster (Pleiades) logo.
Willing	Agreeable or eager to do something.

General Hints

One group involves biblical homophones.
Another category is about being enthusiastic or into it.
There’s a set that means to furnish or provide.
The final group features logos with stars.

Category Titles

🟨 Yellow: Into It
🟩 Green: Furnish
🟦 Blue: Orgs with Stars in Their Logos
🟪 Purple: Homophones of Genesis Figures

One Word per Category

🟨 Yellow: Eager
🟩 Green: Equip
🟦 Blue: Subaru
🟪 Purple: Cane

Complete Solution

🟨 Yellow: Into It → DOWN, EAGER, GAME, WILLING
🟩 Green: Furnish → EQUIP, OUTFIT, PREPARE, READY
🟦 Blue: Orgs with Stars in Their Logos → NFL, NASA, PARAMOUNT, SUBARU
🟪 Purple: Homophones of Genesis Figures → ABLE, CANE, EAVE, NOAA

Congrats if you solved it! Did the homophones trip you up?

Difficulty Today

Today’s puzzle was moderately difficult. The “Into It” and “Furnish” groups were straightforward,
but the “Genesis homophones” set was a clever misdirect.

Tricky or Misleading Words

NOAA — might be confused with an acronym rather than the homophone “Noah.”
Cane — could point toward sugar or walking sticks instead of Cain.
Game — easily mistaken for sports instead of “willing.”

Strategy Tips

When you spot names that sound biblical but look off, consider homophones.
For company categories, visualizing logos (like Subaru’s stars) can help eliminate ambiguity quickly.