Monday is here, and so is another NYT Connections puzzle. The November 9 challenge puts your vocabulary and pattern recognition skills to the test with 16 words that look unrelated at first but share four hidden connections.
If you’re having trouble finding the groups, we’ve got you covered. Today’s NYT Connections puzzle (#1247) features themes involving dishonest schemes, denim styles, serrated edges, and sea creatures. The purple category is likely to cause the most trouble because it requires looking beyond the complete phrases and focusing on their final words.
You can use the hints below to solve the puzzle yourself or scroll down for the complete answers. We’ve also explained a few tricky word combinations to help you understand how today’s groups fit together.
What Are Today’s NYT Connections Words?
Before looking at the hints, take a moment to examine all 16 words from the November 9 puzzle.
Here is the complete word list:
STEAK KNIFE, CARD SHARK, CON JOB, BOOTCUT, NAVY SEAL, SHELL GAME, MINT LEAF, GAMMA RAY, TAPE DISPENSER, LOW-RISE, FUN SPONGE, RIP-OFF, SKINNY, FLIMFLAM, GRAPEFRUIT SPOON, DISTRESSED.
Some words might immediately remind you of clothing, while others seem connected to scams or everyday objects. However, don’t rush into grouping them based on their obvious meanings. Connections often includes misleading words to make the challenge harder.
NYT Connections Hints Today for November 9
Need a little help without revealing the solutions? These hints should point you toward the four categories without giving everything away.
Today’s puzzle has four color-coded groups. Yellow is usually the easiest, while purple tends to require more creative thinking.
- Yellow Group Hint: Think about dishonest activities where someone tricks another person. The words describe different types of scams, fraud, or deceptive schemes.
- Green Group Hint: These words have something in common with denim. Think about the different cuts, fits, and styles you might find when shopping for jeans.
- Blue Group Hint: Look at objects with rough, toothed, or jagged edges. Some of these items are commonly found in kitchens or around the house.
- Purple Group Hint: Pay attention to the last word in each phrase rather than its complete meaning. Each ending refers to a creature or animal associated with the sea.
Stronger Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle
Still struggling? Here are some more direct clues before revealing the answers.
- Yellow: Four expressions associated with scams and dishonest tricks.
- Green: Different styles and fits of jeans.
- Blue: Objects that feature serrated edges.
- Purple: Four phrases ending with names of sea creatures.
Try to solve at least one more category before moving to the solutions below.
NYT Connections Answers Today: November 9, 2026
Spoilers ahead
Ready to see the solutions? Here are all four categories and their corresponding words for today’s NYT Connections puzzle.
Yellow: Deceitful Scheme
- CON JOB
- FLIMFLAM
- RIP-OFF
- SHELL GAME
These four expressions describe dishonest tricks or schemes used to deceive someone. A con job is a type of fraud, while flimflam refers to misleading talk or deception.
A rip-off involves cheating someone, often financially. A shell game is a classic confidence trick in which someone tries to fool another person.
Green: Jeans Descriptors
- BOOTCUT
- DISTRESSED
- LOW-RISE
- SKINNY
This category focuses on different types of jeans. Bootcut jeans widen slightly toward the bottom, while skinny jeans fit closely around the legs.
Low-rise jeans sit lower on the waist, and distressed jeans feature intentional rips, fading, or worn-looking details.
Blue: Things With Serrated Edges
- GRAPEFRUIT SPOON
- MINT LEAF
- STEAK KNIFE
- TAPE DISPENSER
All four words connect through serrated or toothed edges.
A grapefruit spoon has a serrated tip designed to help separate fruit segments. Steak knives often feature serrated blades, while tape dispensers use a toothed metal edge to cut tape.
Mint leaves also have characteristic toothed or serrated edges.
Purple: Ending in Sea Creatures
- CARD SHARK
- FUN SPONGE
- GAMMA RAY
- NAVY SEAL
This is arguably the trickiest category because the connection isn’t based on the complete phrases.
Instead, look at their final words:
- SHARK: A marine animal.
- SPONGE: A sea-dwelling animal.
- RAY: A type of marine fish.
- SEAL: A marine mammal.
Once you spot the pattern, the purple group becomes much easier to understand.
Why Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Is Tricky
The November 9 puzzle uses several misleading combinations that can send players toward the wrong categories.
SHELL GAME is a good example. The word shell might make you think of sea creatures, but the complete phrase belongs to the deceitful scheme category.
Similarly, CARD SHARK sounds like it could describe a dishonest person. However, its connection is the word SHARK at the end of the phrase.
RIP-OFF might also remind you of ripped or distressed clothing, making it tempting to place it alongside the jeans-related words. Its correct home is the yellow category.
The best approach is to consider multiple meanings of each word before submitting a group. If four words appear to share an obvious connection, check whether another interpretation makes more sense.
How to Play NYT Connections
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times. Players receive 16 words and must organize them into four groups of four based on a shared connection.
Each category has a different difficulty level:
- Yellow: Usually the easiest category.
- Green: A moderate challenge.
- Blue: Often requires more specific knowledge.
- Purple: Typically the most challenging and may involve wordplay.
Players get four mistakes before the game ends. You can also shuffle the words to look for new patterns and make potential connections easier to spot.
Conclusion
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle for November 9, 2026, combines familiar expressions, clothing terminology, everyday objects, and clever wordplay. The yellow and green categories are relatively straightforward, but the purple group requires players to focus on the final words rather than the complete phrases.
Were you able to solve all four categories without using hints? Share your results and check back tomorrow for another set of Connections clues and answers.
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