Today's hints
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The answer
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Why this answer
What the word means, where the trap was, and how the solve unfolds.
Connections #1193 sorts 16 words into four groups, and the colors tell you how the setter ranked them. Yellow is ending in metal elements: LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, MARIGOLD, STEAM IRON. Green is starting with u.s. coins: DIMENSION, NICKELODEON, PENNYWISE, QUARTERBACK. Blue is poets' middle names: BARRETT, CARLOS, ST. VINCENT, WADSWORTH. Purple is sausages plus a letter: BORAT, CLINK, FRANK-N-FURTER, WIDENER.
Purple, sausages plus a letter, is the group built to be found last: its words look like they belong somewhere else until the other three are cleared. The longest word on the board is LONG JOHN SILVER and the shortest is LATIN; length is never the clue in Connections, meaning is.
Recent Connections answers
Two weeks of solutions, newest first. Handy for a broken streak or a missed day.
Catching up? Here are the most recent solutions.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 15, 2026 | Connections #1192 | INSTRUCT: COACH, DIRECT, GUIDE, TRAIN. PARTS OF A WHISTLING KETTLE: HANDLE, LID, SPOUT, WHISTLE. UNDERCOVER OPERATIVE: ASSET, MOLE, PLANT, SLEEPER. THINGS THAT APPEAR AT THE END: CABOOSE, DECEMBER, DESSERT, EPILOGUE. |
| Mon, Sep 14, 2026 | Connections #1191 | WATERBIRDS: COOT, GOOSE, LOON, TEAL. INFORMANT: CANARY, RAT, SNITCH, STOOLIE. COMMON SINGLE-USE PLASTIC ITEMS: BAG, CUTLERY, STIRRER, STRAW. ___GRASS: BLUE, CRAB, LEMON, WHEAT. |
| Sun, Sep 13, 2026 | Connections #1190 | LACKING IN FIRMNESS: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, SLACK. U.S. PRESIDENTS: CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, MADISON. WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS: EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE, ODIE. ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS: DOUBLESPEAK, HEATHCLIFF, PARAMOUNT, PORRIDGE. |
| Sat, Sep 12, 2026 | Connections #1189 | WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR: BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE. PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM: LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL. THINGS THAT BLINK: CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL. ___ ALERT: NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER. |
| Fri, Sep 11, 2026 | Connections #1188 | PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT: BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER. INTERNALIZE: ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN. WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE: EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG. THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY: AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK. |
| Thu, Sep 10, 2026 | Connections #1187 | CHEMICAL ELEMENTS: ACTINIUM, KRYPTON, LEAD, SULFUR. WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE STICKING OUT OF A WINDOW: AIR CONDITIONER, CATIO, CLOTHESLINE, FLOWER BOX. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CLASSICS: ATLANTIC CITY, BADLANDS, BORN TO RUN, THUNDER ROAD. ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW": ADULT CONTEMPORARY, ALTERNATING CURRENT, REPRESENT, SEXTANT. |
| Wed, Sep 9, 2026 | Connections #1186 | HARD TO UNDERSTAND: BEWILDERING, ESOTERIC, INCOMPREHENSIBLE, OPAQUE. WORDS WITH "SMALL" PREFIXES: MICROBREWERY, MINIVAN, NANOTECHNOLOGY, PICOSECOND. HORROR MOVIES: ARACHNOPHOBIA, HALLOWEEN, IT, SAW. WORDS BEFORE "FORCE": BRUTE, ELECTROMAGNETIC, G, TASK. |
| Tue, Sep 8, 2026 | Connections #1185 | CLASSIC AMERICAN PERFORMANCE CARS: CORVETTE, FIREBIRD, MUSTANG, VIPER. FEATURES OF A MIME COSTUME: BERET, GLOVES, STRIPES, SUSPENDERS. ___ HEART: ARTICHOKE, PURPLE, SACRED, TAKE TO. CANDY BARS PLUS A LETTER: DOVES, MARSH, SKORT, TWIXT. |
| Mon, Sep 7, 2026 | Connections #1184 | QUITE THE SAGA: FABRICATION, FISH STORY, TALL TALE, YARN. PARTS OF A BRA: CUP, HOOK, STRAP, UNDERWIRE. ASSOCIATED WITH PINE TREES: CAR AIR FRESHENER, CHRISTMAS, NEEDLES, TURPENTINE. STARTING WITH DISNEY CHARACTERS: PLUTONIUM, SCAR TISSUE, STITCH MARKER, TRAMPOLINE. |
| Sun, Sep 6, 2026 | Connections #1183 | UNRESTRICTED PERMISSION; PLACES TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO ON A COMPUTER; ABBREVIATIONS FOLLOWED BY REDUNDANT WORD; ENDING WITH WAYS TO CARVE A SURFACE. |
| Sat, Sep 5, 2026 | Connections #1182 | MOVE UNSTEADILY; BIRD ONOMATOPOEIA; ___HEAD; DESSERTS MINUS LAST LETTER. |
| Fri, Sep 4, 2026 | Connections #1181 | SPHERICAL THINGS; FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS; KINDS OF EELS; ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS. |
| Thu, Sep 3, 2026 | Connections #1180 | TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB'S TAIL; SHADES OF RED; TOY CAR BRANDS; SPREADSHEET FUNCTIONS. |
| Wed, Sep 2, 2026 | Connections #1179 | FLABBERGAST; THINGS IN A VIOLIN CASE; ___ DOGS (THAT ARE DOGS); ___ DOGS (THAT AREN'T DOGS). |
Solve notes
The opener that would have found it, and what to carry into tomorrow.
Where to start
The safest first move is the group with the least ambiguity, usually yellow: ending in metal elements (LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, MARIGOLD, STEAM IRON). If a word seems to fit two categories, hold it until one of them fills, and remember that four mistakes end the game, so a guess should always be a full set you can defend.
Questions people ask
The things readers search about today's Connections, answered plainly.
What are today’s Connections answers for September 16, 2026?
The groups are ending in metal elements; starting with u.s. coins; poets' middle names; sausages plus a letter.
What is the purple group in Connections #1193?
The purple group is sausages plus a letter: BORAT, CLINK, FRANK-N-FURTER, WIDENER.
What is the easiest group in Connections #1193?
Yellow is the setter’s easiest group: ending in metal elements (LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, MARIGOLD, STEAM IRON).
When does the next Connections release?
Connections #1194 releases at midnight ET on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
How do you play NYT Connections?
Sort 16 words into four groups of four. You can make four mistakes before the game ends.
Tomorrow's hints, in your inbox at midnight
Daily Connections hints, the answer explained, and one thing worth knowing about the word — sent at midnight ET.