NYT Connections Answer Today (#833) – 21 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:

Ale
Bar
Booth
Chill
Counter
Eek
Hive
Loaf
Lounge
Pinch
Quash
Scroll
Swipe
Table
Tap
Veg

Definitions of the 16 Words

Ale	Beer style; here a play on “Kale” with the first letter removed.
Bar	Long counter in restaurants or pubs; also a type of seating area.
Booth	Restaurant seating with benches, often semi-private.
Chill	To relax or unwind.
Counter	Raised flat surface in a restaurant where patrons can sit and eat.
Eek	Represents “Leek” (vegetable) with the first letter removed.
Hive	Represents “Chive” (herb/vegetable) with the first letter removed.
Loaf	To idle or laze about; also a portion of bread.
Lounge	To recline or relax comfortably.
Pinch	Touchscreen gesture using two fingers to zoom in or out.
Quash	Represents “Squash” (vegetable) with the first letter removed.
Scroll	Touchscreen gesture to move content vertically or horizontally.
Swipe	Touchscreen gesture sliding a finger across the screen.
Table	Standard restaurant seating furniture.
Tap	Quick finger press on a touchscreen.
Veg	Slang for “vegetate,” meaning to relax and do very little.

General Hints

One group covers restaurant seating options.
Another is all about touchscreen gestures.
There’s also a set related to relaxation and leisure.
The last group is a clever twist: vegetables with their first letter removed.

Category Titles

🟨 Yellow: Touchscreen Gestures
🟩 Green: Relax
🟦 Blue: Restaurant Seating Options
🟪 Purple: Vegetables with First Letter Removed

One Word per Category

🟨 Yellow: Scroll
🟩 Green: Veg
🟦 Blue: Booth
🟪 Purple: Quash

Complete Solution

🟨 Yellow: Touchscreen Gestures → PINCH, SCROLL, SWIPE, TAP
🟩 Green: Relax → CHILL, LOAF, LOUNGE, VEG
🟦 Blue: Restaurant Seating Options → BAR, BOOTH, COUNTER, TABLE
🟪 Purple: Vegetables with First Letter Removed → ALE (KALE), EEK (LEEK), HIVE (CHIVE), QUASH (SQUASH)

This one had a sneaky purple group — did you catch the missing first letters quickly?

Difficulty Today

Today’s puzzle leaned moderate. The “restaurant seating” and “touchscreen gestures” groups were easy to spot, but the vegetables-with-missing-letters theme was trickier.

Tricky or Misleading Words

Veg — could be mistaken for “vegetable” rather than “vegetate.”
Hive — not obviously linked to “Chive” unless you spotted the missing-letter trick.
Bar — could have been interpreted as nightlife rather than seating.

Strategy Tips

Always check for wordplay — missing letters, rhymes, or puns often form a full group. Also, scan for obvious real-world sets like furniture or tech actions first.