NYT Connections Sept 27 Hints & Answers #839 (Full Guide)

It’s Saturday, which means NYT Connections puzzle #839 is here — and it’s a real puzzler. Saturdays often bring more layered challenges, and today’s grid combines emotional vocabulary, anatomy terms, cooking techniques, and phrasal verb wordplay.

If you’re someone who enjoys stretching your brain across multiple subjects, this puzzle delivers. Whether you’re looking for a gentle nudge through hints or the full solution breakdown, we’ve got you covered. Today’s groups range from affectionate terms that warm the heart, to appendages that extend from the body, to methods of making popcorn in the kitchen, and finally to phrasal verbs that show how easily we can “squander away” time or resources.

Below, you’ll find progressive hints, detailed category explanations, and complete answers to help you solve NYT Connections September 27, 2025 with confidence.

Today’s Connections #839: Saturday’s Real Puzzler

Saturday’s grid mixes variety and trickiness. At first glance, the puzzle may feel scattered — but once you recognize that words belong to themes like emotions, anatomy, cooking, and grammar, the groups start to click.

• Some words feel warm and kind but actually link together in an affectionate group.
• Others belong to the world of biology, pointing to extensions of living bodies.
• A few are kitchen-based, tied to popcorn prep.
• And then there’s the wordplay trap, with phrasal verbs formed by pairing with “away.”

This balance makes puzzle #839 a classic Saturday challenge.

Yellow Group: Loving (Affectionate Terms)

• Words: Kind, Sweet, Tender, Warm
• Theme: Expressions of affection and compassion.

These are the kinds of words you’d use to describe someone who is loving, caring, or nurturing. They’re also common in poetry, literature, and everyday conversation when describing emotional closeness.

Green Group: Appendages (Body Parts and Extensions)

• Words: Arm, Fin, Flipper, Wing
• Theme: Anatomical extensions in humans and animals.

This group connects biology with function: arms for humans, fins for fish, flippers for marine mammals, and wings for birds. Each is a body part that extends outward and plays a role in movement or interaction with the environment.

Blue Group: Popcorn-Making Methods

• Words: Kettle, Microwave, Popper, Stovetop
• Theme: Ways to prepare popcorn.

This is a cooking-focused category, ranging from carnival-style kettle corn to the familiar microwave bag, the electric popcorn popper, and the classic stovetop pan. Each represents a method for turning kernels into a snack.

Purple Group: Squander “Away” Phrasal Verbs

• Words: Fiddle, Fritter, Throw, Trifle
• Theme: Phrasal verbs with “away” meaning to waste.

This tricky group showcases linguistic wordplay. When combined with “away,” each verb becomes an expression for squandering:

• Fiddle away → waste time idly
• Fritter away → squander money or energy
• Throw away → discard, waste
• Trifle away → waste carelessly

A great reminder that English phrasal verbs often carry figurative meanings beyond their base word.

Progressive Hints and Category Strategy

If you’re solving without looking at answers right away, here’s a tiered hint system:

• Easy hint: Look for kind and warm-hearted terms first.
• Medium hint: Notice the animal-related words pointing to body parts.
• Hard hint: Watch for the cooking words—they’re easy to overlook as they seem unrelated at first.
• Final hint: If a word seems wasteful when paired with “away,” you’re on the right track.

Saturday Puzzle Solving and Wordplay Strategies

Saturday puzzles often combine cross-domain knowledge. To tackle them:

• Start with the obvious group (like emotions).
• Check for physical objects (like body parts).
• Isolate cooking/everyday items (like popcorn prep).
• Save phrasal verbs for last — they’re subtle but satisfying once spotted.

Recognizing patterns in grammar, vocabulary, and daily life contexts is the key to success.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the categories for NYT Connections #839, September 27?
Yellow: Loving (kind, sweet, tender, warm). Green: Appendages (arm, fin, flipper, wing). Blue: Popcorn-making methods (kettle, microwave, popper, stovetop). Purple: Squander with “away” (fiddle, fritter, throw, trifle).

How do the purple group words work with “away”?
They form phrasal verbs — fiddle away, fritter away, throw away, trifle away — all meaning to waste.

Which popcorn-making methods appear in the puzzle?
Kettle, microwave, electric popper, and stovetop — four common methods.

Why are fin and flipper grouped with arm and wing?
They’re all appendages, anatomical extensions used for movement.

What makes today’s puzzle a “real puzzler”?
It blends emotional terms, anatomy, cooking techniques, and tricky phrasal verbs — testing multiple areas of knowledge.

Conclusion

Puzzle #839 for September 27, 2025 was a diverse challenge. From affectionate vocabulary to anatomical appendages, from popcorn cooking methods to squander-related phrasal verbs, today’s grid offered variety and wordplay at its finest.

The purple “away” group stood out as the toughest, but also the most rewarding once spotted. If you enjoyed today’s puzzle, get ready — Sundays often bring a fresh twist. Until then, keep sharpening your wordplay and strategy skills!