Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a pretty sneaky trap, and it’s easy to fall for it. If you found yourself staring at four names that seem like they belong to a cartoon or comic strip, you’re definitely not the only one.
The four categories in today’s puzzle are lacking firmness, U.S. presidents, words that sound like two letters, and words ending with terms for elevated landforms.
If you want to solve the puzzle yourself, we’ll start with some hints. If you’ve already made your guesses and just want to check your answers, the complete solution is further down.
What Is NYT Connections?
Connections is the daily word puzzle from The New York Times. Each day, you’re given 16 words and have to divide them into four groups of four.
The catch is that the connection between the words isn’t always obvious. Some words can seemingly fit into multiple groups, while others are deliberately placed there to throw you off.
The four categories are represented by colors based on difficulty:
- Yellow is the easiest
- Green is slightly harder
- Blue is more challenging
- Purple is usually the trickiest
You get only four incorrect guesses before the puzzle ends, so it’s worth taking a second look before submitting a group.
Today’s Connections Hints for September 13
Need a little help without giving everything away? Here are today’s category hints:
- Yellow: Describes something that isn’t firm
- Green: Names associated with former U.S. presidents
- Blue: Words that sound like two letters when spoken
- Purple: Words ending with a term for a raised landform
Still stuck? The full answers are below.
The Big Red Herring in Today’s Puzzle
Today’s puzzle has a particularly convincing decoy.
Garfield, Heathcliff, Odie, and Kewpie immediately look like they should form a group because they all sound like names you’d associate with cartoons, comics, or pop culture.
And there’s a good reason that grouping feels so tempting. Garfield, Heathcliff, and Odie are all familiar comic or cartoon characters.
But that’s not the group NYT wants you to make.
Garfield belongs in the U.S. presidents category. James A. Garfield was the 20th president of the United States.
There’s another potential distraction with Cleveland, which can also make you think of a place rather than a president. Grover Cleveland, however, was the 22nd and 24th U.S. president.
That’s the sort of overlap that can make today’s puzzle surprisingly frustrating.
NYT Connections Answers for September 13, 2026
Ready for the solution? Here are all four groups for Connections puzzle #1190.
Yellow – Lacking in Firmness
- Droopy
- Flaccid
- Sagging
- Slack
These four words all describe something loose, soft, or lacking firmness.
Green – U.S. Presidents
- Cleveland
- Garfield
- Grant
- Madison
These are all surnames of former U.S. presidents: Grover Cleveland, James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, and James Madison.
Blue – Words That Sound Like Two Letters
- Empty
- Excess
- Kewpie
- Odie
Say these aloud and the connection becomes clearer. Their pronunciations resemble combinations of letter names.
Purple – Ending in Elevated Landforms
- Porridge
- Heathcliff
- Paramount
- Doublespeak
This is easily the strangest group of the day. Each word ends with a term associated with an elevated landform, making it much harder to spot without the right angle.
Quick Connection Answers Recap
- Yellow – Lacking in Firmness – DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, SLACK
- Green – U.S. Presidents – CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, MADISON
- Blue – Words That Sound Like Two Letters – EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE, ODIE
- Purple – Ending in Elevated Landforms – PORRIDGE, HEALTHCLIFF, PARAMOUNT, DOUBLESPEAK
How Hard Was Today’s NYT Connections?
I’d put today’s puzzle at around 4 out of 5 for difficulty.
The presidents group becomes fairly straightforward once you recognize Garfield and Cleveland as surnames. The real challenge is avoiding the cartoon-character trap and figuring out where the remaining words belong.
The purple group is probably the biggest headache. It’s the kind of category that can look completely random until the connection finally clicks.
If you tried to group Garfield, Heathcliff, Odie, and Kewpie together, don’t feel bad. That was clearly the bait.
Final Thoughts
Today’s NYT Connections is a great example of why you shouldn’t always trust the most obvious grouping.
When several words seem to fit together perfectly, take a moment and check whether another category might explain them better. With only four mistakes allowed, that extra few seconds can save the puzzle.
If you solved today’s Connections without falling for the Garfield trap, nice work.
Come back tomorrow for the next NYT Connections hints and answers, and follow GamerUrge for more daily puzzle coverage, gaming news, guides, and updates.
