Today's hints
Each hint gives a little more away. Stop as soon as it clicks.
The 16-word board
Yellow group
Hint
Yellow is finance vocabulary you would hear on a trading floor.
Reveal category
SECURITIES
Reveal four words
BOND · FUTURE · OPTION · STOCK
Green group
Hint
Green gathers things you literally shake — a cocktail and a few noisy toys included.
Reveal category
THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED)
Reveal four words
ETCH A SKETCH · MARTINI · SPRAY PAINT · TAMBOURINE
Blue group
Hint
Blue is classic mob-movie titles, not the actors.
Reveal category
GANGSTER MOVIES
Reveal four words
BUGSY · CASINO · DONNIE BRASCO · SCARFACE
Purple group
Hint
Purple hides calendar shorthand at the front of ordinary words (DEC-, NOV-, OCT-, SEP-).
Reveal category
STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS
Reveal four words
DECENT · NOVELTY · OCTOPUSSY · SEPTUM
Reveal all groups and explanation
The solution, explanation and solve notes stay hidden until you choose to reveal them.
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer board
Yellow · SECURITIES
BOND · FUTURE · OPTION · STOCK
Green · THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED)
ETCH A SKETCH · MARTINI · SPRAY PAINT · TAMBOURINE
Blue · GANGSTER MOVIES
BUGSY · CASINO · DONNIE BRASCO · SCARFACE
Purple · STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS
DECENT · NOVELTY · OCTOPUSSY · SEPTUM
Why these words belong together
Yellow SECURITIES is the clean opener: BOND, FUTURE, OPTION, and STOCK are traded instruments.
Green THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED) plays on the Bond martini line while also covering Etch A Sketch, spray paint, and a tambourine.
Blue GANGSTER MOVIES groups BUGSY, CASINO, DONNIE BRASCO, and SCARFACE — titles, not character nicknames.
Purple STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS is the trap: DECENT, NOVELTY, OCTOPUSSY, and SEPTUM all open with DEC/NOV/OCT/SEP. OCTOPUSSY especially steals attention toward the gangster/spy lane.
Grouping explanation and misleading overlaps
Solving Connections #1207
Clear the securities quartet first whenever those four finance words share the board.
The purple trick
Month abbreviations glued onto ordinary English are easy to miss when one of them is also a famous film title. Separate the cinema group by insisting on full movie names, then reread what remains for DEC-/NOV-/OCT-/SEP- openings.
Questions about this edition
What are today’s Connections answers?
SECURITIES: BOND, FUTURE, OPTION, STOCK. THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED): ETCH A SKETCH, MARTINI, SPRAY PAINT, TAMBOURINE. GANGSTER MOVIES: BUGSY, CASINO, DONNIE BRASCO, SCARFACE. STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS: DECENT, NOVELTY, OCTOPUSSY, SEPTUM.
What is the purple group in Connections #1207?
STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS: DECENT, NOVELTY, OCTOPUSSY, SEPTUM.
What is the trickiest overlap today?
OCTOPUSSY looks like it could sit with gangster or spy cinema, but it belongs with the month-abbreviation wordplay.
What are the yellow and green groups?
Yellow is SECURITIES (BOND, FUTURE, OPTION, STOCK). Green is THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED).
When does the next Connections puzzle release?
A new Connections grid unlocks daily at midnight Eastern Time.
Answer checked against the dated NYT record on . TECHi provides independent hints and commentary. Play the official game.
Recent Connections answers
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Catching up? Here are the most recent solutions.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 29, 2026 | Connections #1206 | SECLUDED: HIDDEN, REMOTE, SECRET, TUCKED AWAY. RIVER FEATURES: DELTA, DRAINAGE BASIN, MOUTH, STREAM BED. FIRST WORDS OF PIXAR FILMS: FINDING, INSIDE, MONSTERS, TOY. PHRASES HIDING GREEK LETTERS: FREEZE TAG, HOME GAME, MODEL TANK, ORAL PHASE. |
| Mon, Sep 28, 2026 | Connections #1205 | THINGS WITH STALKS: BAMBOO, CELERY, CORN, WHEAT. OYSTER CONDIMENTS: HORSERADISH, LEMON, MIGNONETTE, TABASCO. DODGE MODELS: CHALLENGER, CHARGER, DURANGO, VIPER. THREE LETTERS PLUS REPEATED TRIGRAMS: ARKANSANS, CHIHUAHUA, POSSESSES, SPRINGING. |
| Sun, Sep 27, 2026 | Connections #1204 | SCULPTURE MEDIA: BRONZE, CLAY, MARBLE, PLASTER. RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS: BANQUETTE, BOOTH, CHAIR, STOOL. TELECOM: CARRIER, NETWORK, OPERATOR, PROVIDER. ENDING IN CHINESE DYNASTIES: BBQING, HOMING, LOHAN, WU-TANG. |
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