A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1186
hints & answers for September 9, 2026

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows September 9, 2026. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, E, I and O. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BEWILDERING belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

HARD TO UNDERSTAND

Reveal all four words
  • BEWILDERING
  • ESOTERIC
  • INCOMPREHENSIBLE
  • OPAQUE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with M, M, N and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

MICROBREWERY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS WITH "SMALL" PREFIXES

Reveal all four words
  • MICROBREWERY
  • MINIVAN
  • NANOTECHNOLOGY
  • PICOSECOND

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, H, I and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ARACHNOPHOBIA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

HORROR MOVIES

Reveal all four words
  • ARACHNOPHOBIA
  • HALLOWEEN
  • IT
  • SAW

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, E, G and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BRUTE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS BEFORE "FORCE"

Reveal all four words
  • BRUTE
  • ELECTROMAGNETIC
  • G
  • TASK
Show categories only
  • Yellow: HARD TO UNDERSTAND
  • Green: WORDS WITH "SMALL" PREFIXES
  • Blue: HORROR MOVIES
  • Purple: WORDS BEFORE "FORCE"

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

HARD TO UNDERSTAND

BEWILDERING · ESOTERIC · INCOMPREHENSIBLE · OPAQUE

Green

WORDS WITH "SMALL" PREFIXES

MICROBREWERY · MINIVAN · NANOTECHNOLOGY · PICOSECOND

Blue

HORROR MOVIES

ARACHNOPHOBIA · HALLOWEEN · IT · SAW

Purple

WORDS BEFORE "FORCE"

BRUTE · ELECTROMAGNETIC · G · TASK

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.