Today’s Connections grid may look like a hard solve, but the themes pop out once you dig beneath the surface. To help you out, we’ve assorted some general hints for you. Those who need more help can take a look at one word from each group and the list of themes. The answers and their explanations are mentioned at the end of the page. So, let’s dive into all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,205, September 28, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
After Wordle, Connections is the New York Times’ most popular word game. The rules are simple. You need to find words with a common theme and group them into 4 groups of 4. The 16-word grid is designed with an increasing level of difficulty. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. The misdirects and red herrings can trip you up, but they also make the puzzle more fun. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Some tips to solve Connections
Look for the obvious patterns: Not every category in the puzzle is confusing. The Yellow and Green category words are relatively easy to spot. However, if something seems too obvious, it could be a red herring. Typically, the first two categories comprise verbs and adjectives. The misdirects are often nouns.
Double-check your submissions: ‘Do not overthink’ is usually a good tip for solving most puzzles, but it doesn’t really apply to Connections. Before submitting a set of words, you should always check whether they fit somewhere else too.
Hit a dead end? Use the shuffle button: The shuffle button at the bottom of the grid exists for a reason. Placing the words in different positions can spark new connections. Think of it as a mental refresh. New patterns will emerge, and you may be able to find a breakthrough.
Tackle the Purple category with extra caution: The Connections team is known to serve up the toughest and most unexpected words for the Purple category. Here are some of the common tropes that you should look out for:
- Homophones (For example: ‘Where’, ‘Wear’, ‘Ware’, and ‘Weir’)
- Words within words (For example: ‘Slip’, ‘Hear’, ‘Keyes’, and ‘Undiagnosed’ could be ‘Words containing parts of the face’)
- Words minus a letter (For example: ‘Anther’, ‘Easel’, ‘Hark’, and ‘Lama’ could be ‘Animals minus starting letter’)
- Words preceded or followed by another word (For example: ‘Face’, ‘Sports’, ‘Note’, and ‘Year’ could be ‘____ Book’)
Here’s your grid for today
- CHIHUAHUA
- LEMON
- VIPER
- BAMBOO
- CELERY
- TABASCO
- ARKANSANS
- DURANGO
- SPRINGING
- CHARGER
- HORSERADISH
- WHEAT
- POSSESSES
- MIGNONETTE
- CORN
- CHALLENGER
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,205) September 28, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: They have vertical stems.
- 🟢Green Group: Served with a specific seafood.
- 🔵Blue Group: Muscle cars.
- 🟣Purple Group: Recurring letters at the end.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bamboo.
- 🟢Green Group: Horseradish.
- 🔵Blue Group: Challenger.
- 🟣Purple Group: Arkansans.
List of Themes (Major Spoilers)
Maybe getting to know the common themes among the words will help you spot them faster. Here are all the categories for today.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Things With Stalks.
- 🟢Green Group: Oyster Condiments.
- 🔵Blue Group: Dodge Models.
- 🟣Purple Group: Three Letters Plus Repeated Trigrams.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,205) Today (September 28, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bamboo, Celery, Corn, Wheat. (Things With Stalks)
The vertical stems of these plants are one of their essential features.
- 🟢Green Group: Horseradish, Lemon, Mignonette, Tabasco. (Oyster Condiments)
These condiments go well with oysters.
- 🔵Blue Group: Challenger, Charger, Durango, Viper. (Dodge Models)
These are the names of some of the offerings from the American muscle car company, Dodge.
- 🟣Purple Group: Arkansans, Chihuahua, Possesses, Springing. (Three Letters Plus Repeated Trigrams)
Ark-ans–ans. Chi-hua–hua. Pos-ses–ses. Spr-ing–ing.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,204, September 27, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bronze, Clay, Marble, Plaster. (Sculpture Media)
- 🟢Green Group: Banquette, Booth, Chair, Stool. (Restaurant Seating Options)
- 🔵Blue Group: Carrier, Network, Operator, Provider. (Telecom)
- 🟣Purple Group: Bbqing, Homing, Lohan, Wu-Tang. (Ending In Chinese Dynasties)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,203 (September 26, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Gum, Mint, Mouthwash, Spray. (Breath Fresheners)
- 🟢Green Group: Fold, Press, Starch, Wash. (Things Done To A Dress Shirt At A Laundry)
- 🔵Blue Group: Burl, Grain, Knots, Rings. (Features Of Wood)
- 🟣Purple Group: Beans, Cat, Cucumber, Customer. (‘Cool’ Things, In Expressions)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,202 (September 25, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bougie, Fancy, Posh, Swank. (Luxe)
- 🟢Green Group: Escapement, Pendulum, Ratchet, Spring. (Parts Of A Mechanical Clock)
- 🔵Blue Group: Aykroyd, Levy, Rather, Savage. (Famous Dans)
- 🟣Purple Group: Border, Classy, Foamily, Genius. (Taxonomic Ranks Plus A Letter)
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How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 2 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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