NYT Connections Answer Today (#832) – 20 Sep 2025 Solution & Hints

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:

Chip
Dip
Dive
Dodge
Duck
Flyer
Ford
Fry
Kangaroo
Lark
Lincoln
Ram
Rocket
Scraper
Senator
Star
Wing

Definitions of the 16 Words

Chip	A fried potato slice; common sports bar snack.
Dip	A sauce paired with chips or wings; also part of bar food.
Dive	As in “skydive,” a fall through the sky.
Dodge	Car brand; also means to avoid.
Duck	NHL team (Anaheim Ducks); also a bird.
Flyer	NHL team (Philadelphia Flyers); also someone who flies.
Ford	Famous American car brand.
Fry	Deep-fried food, popular in sports bars.
Lark	As in “skylark,” a type of bird.
Lincoln	Luxury car brand owned by Ford.
Ram	Truck brand; also an animal.
Rocket	As in “skyrocket,” meaning to rise quickly.
Scraper	As in “skyscraper,” a tall building.
Senator	NHL team (Ottawa Senators); also a political figure.
Star	NHL team (Dallas Stars); also a celestial object.
Wing	Chicken wings, popular sports bar food.

General Hints

One group is all about sports bar snacks.
Another features well-known car brands.
A set involves “sky” compound words.
The final category is made up of NHL team names.

Category Titles

🟨 Yellow: Car Brands
🟩 Green: Bit of Sports Bar Fare
🟦 Blue: N.H.L. Team Member
🟪 Purple: Sky ___

One Word per Category

🟨 Yellow: Dodge
🟩 Green: Wing
🟦 Blue: Senator
🟪 Purple: Rocket

Complete Solution

🟨 Yellow: Car Brands → DODGE, FORD, LINCOLN, RAM
🟩 Green: Bit of Sports Bar Fare → CHIP, DIP, FRY, WING
🟦 Blue: N.H.L. Team Member → DUCK, FLYER, SENATOR, STAR
🟪 Purple: Sky ___ → DIVE, LARK, ROCKET, SCRAPER

Congrats if you solved it! Did you get tripped up by the food vs. NHL overlap?

Difficulty Today

This one leaned easy to moderate. “Car Brands” was straightforward, while “Sky ___” added some playful word connections.

Tricky or Misleading Words

Wing — could belong to sports bar food or hockey teams.
Lark — obscure unless you’ve seen “skylark.”
Star — fits both sky and NHL groups, adding to the challenge.

Strategy Tips

When in doubt, group by category type: foods, sports, vehicles, etc. Overlaps like “wing” and “star” can be resolved by checking which group has the strongest set of four.