Today’s Connections grid has a sneaky misdirect in the form of the abbreviation ‘AC’. If you spotted it right away, you might be wondering where to go next. The good news is that we’re here to guide you. We’ve curated some spoiler-free hints to point you in the direction of the answers. If that doesn’t work, you can have one word from each category, 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 take a look at all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,187, September 10, 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
- CATIO
- ALTERNATING CURRENT
- LEAD
- CLOTHESLINE
- ATLANTIC CITY
- REPRESENT
- AIR CONDITIONER
- ADULT CONTEMPORARY
- ACTINIUM
- SEXTAND
- BADLANDS
- SULFUR
- THUNDER ROAD
- FLOWER BOX
- KRYPTON
- BORN TO RUN
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,187) September 10, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Found in the periodic table.
- 🟢Green Group: Seen from outside of apartment complexes.
- 🔵Blue Group: American singer/songwriter’s greatest hits.
- 🟣Purple Group: Ending in words that mean ‘modern’.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Actinium.
- 🟢Green Group: Air Conditioner.
- 🔵Blue Group: Atlantic City.
- 🟣Purple Group: Adult Contemporary.
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: Chemical Elements.
- 🟢Green Group: What You Might See Sticking Out Of A Window.
- 🔵Blue Group: Bruce Springsteen Classics.
- 🟣Purple Group: Ending In Synonyms For ‘Happening Now’.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,187) Today (September 10, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Actinium, Krypton, Lead, Sulfur. (Chemical Elements)
Actinium (Ac). Krypton (Kr). Lead (Pb). Sulfur (S).
- 🟢Green Group: Air Conditioner, Catio, Clothesline, Flower Box. (What You Might See Sticking Out Of A Window)
These things are accommodated on the balcony or a window of an apartment or a house.
- 🔵Blue Group: Atlantic City, Badlands, Born To Run, Thunder Road. (Bruce Springsteen Classics)
Atlantic City (Nebraska, 1982). Badlands (Darkness on the Edge of Town, 1978). Born to Run (Born to Run, 1975). Thunder Road (Born to Run, 1975)
- 🟣Purple Group: Adult Contemporary, Alternating Current, Represent, Sextant (Ending In Synonyms For ‘Happening Now’)
Adult Contemporary. Alternating Current. Re-present. S-extant.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#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’)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,185 (September 8, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Corvette, Firebird, Mustang, Viper. (Classic American Performance Cars)
- 🟢Green Group: Beret, Gloves, Stripes, Suspenders. (Features Of A Mime Costume)
- 🔵Blue Group: Artichoke, Purple, Sacred, Take To. (___ Heart)
- 🟣Purple Group: Doves, Marsh, Skort, Twixt. (Candy Bars Plus A Letter)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,184 (September 7, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Fabrication, Fish Story, Tall Tale, Yarn. (Quite The Saga)
- 🟢Green Group: Cup, Hook, Strap, Underwire. (Parts Of A Bra)
- 🔵Blue Group: Car Air Freshener, Christmas, Needles, Turpentine. (Associated With Pine Trees)
- 🟣Purple Group: Plutonium, Scar Tissue, Stitch Maker, Trampoline. (Starting With Disney Characters)
How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 3.3 out of 5. This puts it in the hard difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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