A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1193
hints & answers for September 16, 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 16, 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 L, L, M and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

LATIN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS

Reveal all four words
  • LATIN
  • LONG JOHN SILVER
  • MARIGOLD
  • STEAM IRON

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DIMENSION belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STARTING WITH U.S. COINS

Reveal all four words
  • DIMENSION
  • NICKELODEON
  • PENNYWISE
  • QUARTERBACK

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BARRETT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

POETS' MIDDLE NAMES

Reveal all four words
  • BARRETT
  • CARLOS
  • ST. VINCENT
  • WADSWORTH

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, C, F and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BORAT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER

Reveal all four words
  • BORAT
  • CLINK
  • FRANK-N-FURTER
  • WIDENER
Show categories only
  • Yellow: ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS
  • Green: STARTING WITH U.S. COINS
  • Blue: POETS' MIDDLE NAMES
  • Purple: SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS

LATIN · LONG JOHN SILVER · MARIGOLD · STEAM IRON

Green

STARTING WITH U.S. COINS

DIMENSION · NICKELODEON · PENNYWISE · QUARTERBACK

Blue

POETS' MIDDLE NAMES

BARRETT · CARLOS · ST. VINCENT · WADSWORTH

Purple

SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER

BORAT · CLINK · FRANK-N-FURTER · WIDENER

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.