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 #1197 sorts 16 words into four groups, and the colors tell you how the setter ranked them. Yellow is round flat things: BLU-RAY, COASTER, SAND DOLLAR, TORTILLA. Green is associated with kentucky: BLUEGRASS, BOURBON, DERBY, FRIED CHICKEN. Blue is vampire movies: BLADE, NEAR DARK, SINNERS, TWILIGHT. Purple is ___boards you ride on: HOVER, SKATE, SNOW, SURF.
Purple, ___boards you ride on, 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 FRIED CHICKEN and the shortest is SNOW; 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 19, 2026 | Connections #1196 | WIDEN ONE'S SCOPE: BRANCH OUT, DIVERSIFY, EXPAND, GROW. FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING: HOUSE, STICK FIGURE, SUN, TREE. ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S: CARNABY STREET, MINISKIRT, MOD, TWIGGY. STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS: COS LETTUCE, LOG CABIN, SIN CITY, TAN LINE. |
| Fri, Sep 18, 2026 | Connections #1195 | SEGMENT OF A PROCESS: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP. ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER. PARTS OF A FLIGHT: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF. ___CASE: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER. |
| Thu, Sep 17, 2026 | Connections #1194 | ELASTICITY: BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING. THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND: MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL. HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE": FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE. LOVE ___: HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE. |
| Wed, Sep 16, 2026 | Connections #1193 | ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS: LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, MARIGOLD, STEAM IRON. STARTING WITH U.S. COINS: DIMENSION, NICKELODEON, PENNYWISE, QUARTERBACK. POETS' MIDDLE NAMES: BARRETT, CARLOS, ST. VINCENT, WADSWORTH. SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER: BORAT, CLINK, FRANK-N-FURTER, WIDENER. |
| 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. |
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: round flat things (BLU-RAY, COASTER, SAND DOLLAR, TORTILLA). 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 20, 2026?
The groups are round flat things; associated with kentucky; vampire movies; ___boards you ride on.
What is the purple group in Connections #1197?
The purple group is ___boards you ride on: HOVER, SKATE, SNOW, SURF.
What is the easiest group in Connections #1197?
Yellow is the setter’s easiest group: round flat things (BLU-RAY, COASTER, SAND DOLLAR, TORTILLA).
When does the next Connections release?
Connections #1198 releases at midnight ET on Monday, September 21, 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.