A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1196
hints & answers for September 19, 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 19, 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, D, E and G. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BRANCH OUT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WIDEN ONE'S SCOPE

Reveal all four words
  • BRANCH OUT
  • DIVERSIFY
  • EXPAND
  • GROW

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

HOUSE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING

Reveal all four words
  • HOUSE
  • STICK FIGURE
  • SUN
  • TREE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CARNABY STREET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S

Reveal all four words
  • CARNABY STREET
  • MINISKIRT
  • MOD
  • TWIGGY

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COS LETTUCE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS

Reveal all four words
  • COS LETTUCE
  • LOG CABIN
  • SIN CITY
  • TAN LINE
Show categories only
  • Yellow: WIDEN ONE'S SCOPE
  • Green: FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING
  • Blue: ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S
  • Purple: STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

WIDEN ONE'S SCOPE

BRANCH OUT · DIVERSIFY · EXPAND · GROW

Green

FEATURES OF A KID'S DRAWING

HOUSE · STICK FIGURE · SUN · TREE

Blue

ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S

CARNABY STREET · MINISKIRT · MOD · TWIGGY

Purple

STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS

COS LETTUCE · LOG CABIN · SIN CITY · TAN LINE

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.