A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1189
hints & answers for September 12, 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 12, 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, F, H and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BUMPER STICKER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR

Reveal all four words
  • BUMPER STICKER
  • FUZZY DICE
  • HOOD ORNAMENT
  • VANITY PLATE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with L, P, S and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

LURKER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM

Reveal all four words
  • LURKER
  • POSTER
  • SPAMMER
  • TROLL

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CURSOR belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS THAT BLINK

Reveal all four words
  • CURSOR
  • EYELIDS
  • SMOKE DETECTOR
  • TURN SIGNAL

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

NERD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ ALERT

Reveal all four words
  • NERD
  • RED
  • SPOILER
  • WEATHER

Each entry comes before "ALERT" to form a word, expression or name: NERD → NERD ALERT; RED → RED ALERT; SPOILER → SPOILER ALERT; WEATHER → WEATHER ALERT.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR
  • Green: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM
  • Blue: THINGS THAT BLINK
  • Purple: ___ ALERT

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR

BUMPER STICKER · FUZZY DICE · HOOD ORNAMENT · VANITY PLATE

Green

PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM

LURKER · POSTER · SPAMMER · TROLL

Blue

THINGS THAT BLINK

CURSOR · EYELIDS · SMOKE DETECTOR · TURN SIGNAL

Purple

___ ALERT

NERD · RED · SPOILER · WEATHER

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.