If you’re a serial solver, then today’s Connections puzzle should not present any problems to you. However, if you’re new to the game, you may find yourself second-guessing every attempt. To iron things out, we’ve curated some general hints for you. Those who need additional help can take a look at one word from each category as well as 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 (#1,203, September 26, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
The New York Times has a thriving online word game section, with Connections being the second-most-played title behind the crown jewel, Wordle. The rules of this game are simple – you need to find 4 groups comprising 4 words each in a 16-word grid. The words in each group are united by a common theme. The Yellow group is the easiest one to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple (toughest). Sometimes, there are red herrings and misdirects in the grid to throw you off your game, so don’t take your thinking cap off at any time! Ready to lock in? You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Here’s your grid for today
- MINT
- PRESS
- GRAIN
- BEANS
- STARCH
- CAT
- CUCUMBER
- RINGS
- GUM
- FOLD
- KNOTS
- CUSTOMER
- WASH
- MOUTHWASH
- BURL
- SPRAY
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,203) September 26, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Get rid of bad breath.
- 🟢Green Group: Stages of doing laundry.
- 🔵Blue Group: Found in planks.
- 🟣Purple Group: Used with a common word in different phrases.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Gum.
- 🟢Green Group: Fold.
- 🔵Blue Group: Burl.
- 🟣Purple Group: Beans.
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: Breath Fresheners.
- 🟢Green Group: Things Done To A Dress Shirt At A Laundry.
- 🔵Blue Group: Features Of Wood.
- 🟣Purple Group: ‘Cool’ Things, In Expressions.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,203) Today (September 26, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Gum, Mint, Mouthwash, Spray. (Breath Fresheners)
These are some of the common methods to get rid of bad breath.
- 🟢Green Group: Fold, Press, Starch, Wash. (Things Done To A Dress Shirt At A Laundry)
At a laundry, a dress shirt is washed, starched, pressed, and then folded.
- 🔵Blue Group: Burl, Grain, Knots, Rings. (Features Of Wood)
Burls are knotty deformities in trees which are later reflected in the wood harvested from them. Grain is the alignment of fibres in a piece of wood. Knots are dark spots where the branches used to be. A tree’s rings are indicators of its growth layers through its lifecycle.
- 🟣Purple Group: Beans, Cat, Cucumber, Customer. (‘Cool’ Things, In Expressions)
Cool beans. Cool cat. Cool as a cucumber. Cool customer.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#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)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,201 (September 24, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cape, Face Paint, Fake Blood, Fangs. (Parts Of A Vampire Costume)
- 🟢Green Group: Bobblehead, Pogo Stick, Snakes In A Can, Trampoline. (Things With Spring/s)
- 🔵Blue Group: Creation Of Adam, Foam Finger, I’m With Stupid Shirt, Uncle Sam. (Featuring Pointing)
- 🟣Purple Group: Beer Hat, Breathe, Herb Tea, The Bear. (Anagrams)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,200 (September 23, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Keys, Phone, Sunglasses, Wallet. (Things You Grab Before Leaving The House)
- 🟢Green Group: Age Verification, Captcha, Cookie Consent, Paywall. (Website Hurdles)
- 🔵Blue Group: Condensed Milk, Paint, Shaving Cream, Spam. (Things That Come In Cans)
- 🟣Purple Group: Bitcoin, Record Label, Rub-A-Dub, Suriname. (Ending In Synonyms For ‘Term’)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 2.3 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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