The clever thing about today’s Connections grid is that its entries are aligned in descending order of the number of letters they comprise. So, ‘INCOMPREHENSIBLE’ is a 16-letter word occupying the first tile, while ‘G’ is a single-letter entry at the very end of the grid. If you’re having trouble figuring out the common links between the entries, we’re here to help you out. As you scroll down, you will see some general hints to nudge you in the direction of the answers. Then, we’ll give you 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, let’s dive into all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,186, September 9, 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
- INCOMPREHENSIBLE
- ELECTROMAGNETIC
- NANOTECHNOLOGY
- ARACHNOPHOBIA
- MICROBREWERY
- BEWILDERING
- PICOSECOND
- HALLOWEEN
- ESOTERIC
- MINIVAN
- OPAQUE
- BRUTE
- TASK
- SAW
- IT
- G
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,186) September 9, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Arcane and obscure.
- 🟢Green Group: Starting with word-attachments that mean minute.
- 🔵Blue Group: Titles belonging to a specific subgenre of media.
- 🟣Purple Group: Followed by a word that means ‘strength’.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bewildering.
- 🟢Green Group: Microbrewery.
- 🔵Blue Group: Arachnophobia.
- 🟣Purple Group: Brute.
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: Hard To Understand.
- 🟢Green Group: Words With ‘Small’ Prefixes.
- 🔵Blue Group: Horror Movies.
- 🟣Purple Group: Words Before ‘Force’.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,186) Today (September 9, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bewildering, Esoteric, Incomprehensible, Opaque. (Hard To Understand)
All of these words describe things that are obscure or hard to decipher.
- 🟢Green Group: Microbrewery, Minivan, Nanotechnology, Picosecond. (Words With ‘Small’ Prefixes)
Micro-brewery. Mini-van. Nano-technology. Pico-second.
- 🔵Blue Group: Arachnophobia, Halloween, IT, Saw. (Horror Movies)
Arachnophobia (1990). Halloween (1978). IT (1990/2017). Saw (2004).
- 🟣Purple Group: Brute, Electromagnetic, G, Task. (Words Before ‘Force’)
Brute force – Raw physical strength. Electromagnetic force – Force generated by electrically charged particles. G Force – Gravitational force equivalent. Task force – Group of people assembled to resolve an issue.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#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)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,183 (September 6, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Blank Check, Carte Blanche, Free Reign, Full Authority. (Unrestricted Permission)
- 🟢Green Group: Card Slot, Headphone Jack, Optical Drive, USB Port. (Places To Insert Something In A Computer)
- 🔵Blue Group: ATM Machine, LCD Display, PIN Number, UPC Code. (Abbreviations Followed By Redundant Word)
- 🟣Purple Group: Court Scribe, Director’s Cut, Pizza Slice, SAT Score. (Ending With Words To Carve A Surface)
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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!
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