Today’s Connections puzzle is one of the easier ones we’ve seen this week. If you’re having trouble guessing the categories, we’ve assorted some spoiler-free hints for you. Those who need additional help can scroll further to take a look at one word from each group and the list of themes. Just want to save your streak? The answers and their explanations are listed at the end of the page. So, let’s dive into all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,196, September 19, 2026).
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
- STICK FIGURE
- MINISKIRT
- LOG CABIN
- SUN
- TAN LINE
- BRANCH OUT
- HOUSE
- TWIGGY
- TREE
- MOD
- SIN CITY
- GROW
- COS LETTUCE
- EXPAND
- CARNABY STREET
- DIVERSIFY
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,196) September 19, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Broaden or spread out your horizon.
- 🟢Green Group: Found in a crayon drawing of a landscape.
- 🔵Blue Group: Features of a 60s cultural movement that originated in London.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starting with math terms.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Branch Out.
- 🟢Green Group: House.
- 🔵Blue Group: Carnaby Street.
- 🟣Purple Group: Cos Lettuce.
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: Widen One’s Scope
- 🟢Green Group: Features Of A Kid’s Drawing.
- 🔵Blue Group: Associated With Swinging London In The 1960s.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starting With Abbreviated Math Functions.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,196) Today (September 19, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Branch Out, Diversify, Expand, Grow. (Widen One’s Scope)
These words are used to describe the act of broadening one’s horizon.
- 🟢Green Group: House, Stick Figure, Sun, Tree. (Features Of A Kid’s Drawing)
These are the standard fixtures in a kid’s drawing.
- 🔵Blue Group: Carnaby Street, Miniskirt, Mod, Twiggy. (Associated With Swinging London In The 1960s)
Carnaby Street was the epicentre of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ cultural wave in London. Dame Lesley Lawson, also known as Twiggy, became a cultural icon during this period. Miniskirts became a symbol associated with the movement, while mod was a subculture that arose from it.
- 🟣Purple Group: Cos Lettuce, Log Cabin, Sin City, Tan Line. (Starting With Abbreviated Math Functions)
Cos (cosine) Lettuce. Log (logarithm) Cabin. Sin (sine) City. Tan (tangent) Line.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,195, September 18, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Phase, Round, Stage, Step. (Segment Of A Process)
- 🟢Green Group: Flight, Medley, Platter, Sampler. (Assortments Of Food/Drink)
- 🔵Blue Group: Boarding, Cruise, Landing, Takeoff. (Parts Of A Flight)
- 🟣Purple Group: Brief, Pillow, Stair, Upper. (___ Case)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,194 (September 17, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bounce, Flexibility, Give, Spring. (Elasticity)
- 🟢Green Group: Mine Shaft, Sewer Line, Subway Station, Well. (Things That Are Underground)
- 🔵Blue Group: Fountain, Prestige, Sheep Detectives, Wolverine. (Hugh Jackman Movies, With “The”)
- 🟣Purple Group: Handles, Language Tap, Triangle. (Love ___)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,193 (September 16, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Latin, Long John Silver, Marigold, Steam Iron. (Ending In Metal Elements)
- 🟢Green Group: Dimension, Nickelodeon, Pennywise, Quarterback. (Starting With U.S. Coins)
- 🔵Blue Group: Barrett, Carlos, St. Vincent, Wadsworth. (Poets’ Middle Names)
- 🟣Purple Group: Borat, Clink, Frank-N-Furter, Widener. (Sausages Plus A Letter)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 1.8 out of 5. This puts it in the easy difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
