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Puzzle #1,189

Connections Hint

Saturday, September 12, 2026

Spoiler-safe hints for NYT Connections. One nudge per group, then the four category names, then the full answer.

Spoiler-safe. Nothing is revealed until you tap it.

Today's 16 words

the grid, ungrouped
BUMPER STICKERFUZZY DICEHOOD ORNAMENTVANITY PLATELURKERPOSTERSPAMMERTROLLCURSOREYELIDSSMOKE DETECTORTURN SIGNALNERDREDSPOILERWEATHER

Hints by group

reveal only what you need
Yellow groupeasiest
See a hint
One answer is FUZZY DICE
See the category
WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR
See the 4 words
BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE
Green groupmedium
See a hint
One answer is POSTER
See the category
PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM
See the 4 words
LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL
Blue grouptricky
See a hint
One answer is EYELIDS
See the category
THINGS THAT BLINK
See the 4 words
CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL
Purple grouphardest
See a hint
One answer is RED
See the category
___ ALERT
See the 4 words
NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER

The whole solution

Reveal all four groups
WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CARYellow
BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE
PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUMGreen
LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL
THINGS THAT BLINKBlue
CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL
___ ALERTPurple
NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER

How to use today's hints

Every group on this page sits behind its own tap, so nothing is spoiled before you ask for it. Open See a hint first — it gives you one answer, or the letters the four words begin with, which is usually enough to see where a category is heading. Only open the category name if that fails, and the four words only if you have given up on that group.

Start with yellow, finish with purple

The New York Times ranks the four groups by difficulty: yellow, green, blue, purple. Yellow is the plainest category on the board, and pulling it out takes away four words that were making everything else look ambiguous. Purple is where the wordplay lives — hidden letters, words that only work inside a phrase, a category that turns out to be about categories. Leave it until last and it often solves itself.

Two mistakes worth avoiding

Do not commit to a group just because all four words fit. Connections is built around words that belong to two categories at once, and the editor puts them there deliberately. And when the game tells you that you are one away, do not fire back immediately — change the word you are least sure about, not the one you like most.

Connections Game is an independent fan resource. Connections is created and owned by The New York Times.