Can’t seem to find any common links among the tiles in today’s Connections grid? We’ve got you covered. First, we’ll give you some spoiler-free hints to help you figure out the answers on your own. If that doesn’t help, we’ll reveal one word from each group, followed by the list of themes. Finally, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. So, without further ado, let’s jump into all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,189, September 12, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
Connections is one of the most popular word games from The New York Times, only trailing behind Wordle. The rules of the game are simple. You are presented with a 16-word grid where you’re supposed to find the entries that share something in common. There are a total of 4 groups, each consisting of 4 words, that you must find. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. Sometimes, there are a couple of red herrings to throw you off and make the puzzle more interesting. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Here’s your grid for today
- TURN SIGNAL
- WEATHER
- POSTER
- BUMPER STICKER
- VANITY PLATE
- CURSOR
- SPOILER
- TROLL
- SMOKE DETECTOR
- FUZZY DICE
- SPAMMER
- NERD
- RED
- EYELIDS
- HOOD ORNAMENT
- LURKER
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,189) September 12, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: You personalise your ride with these accessories.
- 🟢Green Group: Found in online message boards and discussion threads.
- 🔵Blue Group: Have a common movement that’s essential to their functioning.
- 🟣Purple Group: Followed by a common word that means ‘signal’.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bumper Sticker.
- 🟢Green Group: Lurker.
- 🔵Blue Group: Cursor.
- 🟣Purple Group: Nerd.
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: Ways To Personalize A Car.
- 🟢Green Group: People In An Online Forum.
- 🔵Blue Group: Things That Blink.
- 🟣Purple Group: ___ Alert.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,189) Today (September 12, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bumper Sticker, Fuzzy Dice, Hood Ornament, Vanity Plate. (Ways To Personalize A Car)
These are all accessories that people put on their cars.
- 🟢Green Group: Lurker, Poster, Spammer, Troll. (People In An Online Forum)
A lurker is someone who reads everything but never engages in the discussion. A poster is someone who initiates the discussion. Someone who repeatedly sends the same thing is called a spammer. A troll is someone who intends to derail the conversation by purposely sending things meant to get an agitated response.
- 🔵Blue Group: Cursor, Eyelids, Smoke Detector, Turn Signal. (Things That Blink)
A cursor blinks on the screen to let you know that you can type in the text field. Eyelids blink to moisturise the eyes. A smoke detector blinks to indicate its current status. A turn signal blinks to let other drivers on the road know the direction in which you’re about to turn.
- 🟣Purple Group: Nerd, Red, Spoiler, Weather. (___ Alert)
Nerd alert – Used in friendly banter to describe someone who says something technical or academic. Red alert – A signal of danger. Spoiler alert – A warning that the upcoming sentence may reveal crucial plot points of a movie, TV show, or any other piece of media. Weather alert – A warning issued about imminent and dangerous weather conditions.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,188, September 11, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Band, Florist, Photographer, Planner. (People Hired For An Event)
- 🟢Green Group: Absorb, Process, Digest, Take In. (Internalize)
- 🔵Blue Group: Exercise, Journal, Meditate, Unplug. (Ways To Practice Self-Care)
- 🟣Purple Group: Agenda, Envelope, Limits, Luck. (Things That Are Pushed Metaphorically)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,187 (September 10, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Actinium, Krypton, Lead, Sulfur. (Chemical Elements)
- 🟢Green Group: Air Conditioner, Catio, Clothesline, Flower Box. (What You Might See Sticking Out Of A Window)
- 🔵Blue Group: Atlantic City, Badlands, Born To Run, Thunder Road. (Bruce Springsteen Classics)
- 🟣Purple Group: Adult Contemporary, Alternating Current, Represent, Sextant (Ending In Synonyms For ‘Happening Now’)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,186 (September 9, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bewildering, Esoteric, Incomprehensible, Opaque. (Hard To Understand)
- 🟢Green Group: Microbrewery, Minivan, Nanotechnology, Picosecond. (Words With ‘Small’ Prefixes)
- 🔵Blue Group: Arachnophobia, Halloween, IT, Saw. (Horror Movies)
- 🟣Purple Group: Brute, Electromagnetic, G, Task. (Words Before ‘Force’)
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How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 1.5 out of 5. This puts it in the hard difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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