Need help with today’s NYT Connections puzzle? You’re in the right place.
Puzzle #1186, released on September 9, 2026, has a mix of horror movies, small-size prefixes, and a few wordplay tricks that can make the grid harder than it first looks. If you’re stuck, we’ve got hints for every group below. And if you just want the solution, the full answers are there too.
What Is NYT Connections?
Connections is the daily word puzzle from The New York Times, created by crossword editor Wyna Liu. The goal is simple: take 16 words and split them into four groups of four based on a shared connection.
The groups are marked by four colors. Yellow is usually the easiest, followed by green and blue, while purple tends to be the toughest. You only get four incorrect guesses, so it’s worth taking a second look before submitting a group.
NYT Connections Hints for September 9, 2026
Want a little help without seeing the answers? Try these hints first.
- Yellow: Think of some classic horror movies.
- Green: Each word begins with a prefix associated with something very small.
- Blue: Put the same word after each of these to create a term related to power or pressure.
- Purple: These words can all describe something that’s difficult to understand.
Today’s puzzle has a couple of easy traps. Some words may appear to fit more than one group, so don’t rush your guesses. Pay close attention to the prefixes and the word that can be added to the blue group.
NYT Connections Answers for September 9, 2026
Ready for the solution? Here are all four groups from puzzle #1186.
Yellow: Horror Movies
Arachnophobia, Halloween, It, Saw
These are all recognizable horror movie titles. The group mixes older classics with films that became major parts of the horror genre.
Green: Words With “Small” Prefixes
Microbrewery, Minivan, Nanotechnology, Picosecond
Each word starts with a prefix that suggests something small:
- Micro = very small
- Mini = small
- Nano = extremely small
- Pico = even smaller
That’s what connects all four words.
Blue: Words Before “Force”
Brute, Electromagnetic, G, Task
Add “force” to each word and you get a familiar term:
- Brute force
- Electromagnetic force
- G-force
- Task force
This is one of those groups that’s easy to miss if you’re looking at the words individually.
Purple: Hard to Understand
Bewildering, Esoteric, Incomprehensible, Opaque
All four words can describe something that’s difficult to understand, unclear, or confusing.
This is the kind of category that can slow you down because the connection is based more on meaning than on a specific phrase or word pattern.
Quick Connections Answers Recap
- Yellow: Horror Movies – Arachnophobia, Halloween, It, Saw
- Green: Words With “Small” Prefixes – Microbrewery, Minivan, Nanotechnology, Picosecond
- Blue: Words Before “Force” – Brute, Electromagnetic, G, Task
- Purple: Hard to Understand – Bewildering, Esoteric, Incomprehensible, Opaque
Why Today’s Puzzle Was Tricky
The biggest challenge was the wordplay.
The small-size prefixes in the green group can distract you from the other possible connections on the board. Meanwhile, the blue group depends on adding “force”, which isn’t immediately obvious when you’re looking at the words on their own.
The purple group can also be tough because words like esoteric and opaque aren’t as obvious as the connections in the easier groups.
If you found yourself moving words between groups before getting the answer, that’s exactly the kind of misdirection Connections is known for.
How to Get Better at NYT Connections
Want to improve your solving time? A few simple habits can help:
- Start with the group that looks the most obvious.
- Be careful with words that seem to fit multiple categories.
- Look for common phrases where another word can be added.
- Pay attention to prefixes, suffixes, and word patterns.
- Don’t use a guess until you’re reasonably confident all four words belong together.
Sometimes the best move is to leave a suspicious word alone and see what becomes clearer after finding another group.
Final Thoughts
Puzzle #1186 brings together horror movies, tiny prefixes, phrases involving force, and words describing confusing things. The mix of straightforward categories and wordplay makes it a fun one, but also an easy puzzle to overthink.
If you got stuck on the green or blue groups, don’t worry. Those were the categories most likely to send you down the wrong path.
Check back tomorrow for the next NYT Connections hints and answers.
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