Need a little help with today’s NYT Connections puzzle? You’ve come to the right place.
Puzzle #1193 is all about wordplay, and it’s the kind of grid that can send you down the wrong path if you rely too much on first impressions. A few words look like they clearly belong together, but a closer look at their spelling and structure reveals what’s really going on.
I’ve put the hints first, followed by the full answers, so you can stop before the spoilers if you’d rather keep solving on your own.
Why NYT Connections Can Be So Tricky
NYT Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four based on a shared connection. Sounds simple, right? The catch is that the puzzle is designed to make you second-guess yourself.
Today’s grid is a perfect example. Some entries look like familiar words, names, or compound terms, while their actual connection comes from something hidden at the beginning or end.
There are coin names, metal elements, poets’ middle names, and even sausage names disguised by an extra letter.
Today’s Connections Hints: September 16, 2026
Need a push in the right direction without seeing everything? Try these hints:
- Yellow: Pay attention to the ending of each entry.
- Green: Each word starts with the name of a U.S. coin.
- Blue: These are middle names belonging to famous poets.
- Purple: Think of sausages, but look for one extra letter.
Still stuck? The complete answers are below.
NYT Connections Answers for #1193
Here are all four categories and their answers.
Yellow: Ending in Metal Elements
- LATIN
- LONG JOHN SILVER
- STEAM IRON
- MARIGOLD
The trick here is to focus on the endings. Each entry finishes with the name of a metal element: tin, silver, iron, or gold.
Green: Starting With U.S. Coins
- PENNYWISE
- NICKELODEON
- DIMENSION
- QUARTERBACK
Each word begins with the name of a U.S. coin:
Penny + wise
Nickel + odeon
Dime + nsion
Quarter + back
The rest of each word takes you in a completely different direction, which is exactly what makes this group easy to overlook.
Blue: Poets’ Middle Names
- WADSWORTH
- ST. VINCENT
- CARLOS
- BARRETT
These names appear in the full names of well-known poets:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Edna St. Vincent Millay
William Carlos Williams
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Once you recognize the pattern, this group becomes much easier to spot.
Purple: Sausages Plus One Letter
- FRANK-N-FURTER
- CLINK
- BORAT
- WIDENER
This is probably the strangest group in today’s puzzle. Remove the extra letter and the entries point to sausage names:
FRANK-N-FURTER → frankfurter
CLINK → link
BORAT → brat
WIDENER → wiener
Purple is doing what Purple does best: making a perfectly reasonable-looking group feel completely bizarre until the pattern finally clicks.
Quick Connections Answer Recap
- Yellow: Ending in Metal Elements – LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, STEAM IRON, MARIGOLD
- Green: Starting With U.S. Coins – PENNYWISE, NICKELODEON, DIMENSION, QUARTERBACK
- Blue: Poets’ Middle Names – WADSWORTH, ST. VINCENT, CARLOS, BARRETT
- Purple: Sausages Plus One Letter – FRANK-N-FURTER, CLINK, BORAT, WIDENER
How to Get Better at NYT Connections
If you play Connections regularly, a few habits can make tricky grids much easier.
- Start with the most obvious group. Yellow and Green are often easier to identify, giving you fewer words to work with.
- Look for overlapping possibilities. If a word seems to fit two groups, don’t immediately commit. The puzzle may be using it as a deliberate distraction.
- Check the beginning and ending of words. Today’s puzzle heavily rewards looking beyond the complete word.
- Don’t rely only on definitions. Connections frequently uses spelling, names, sounds, prefixes, suffixes, and other forms of wordplay.
- Save the strangest group for last. Purple categories are often built around the most unexpected connection.
Final Thoughts
NYT Connections #1193 is a good reminder that the answer isn’t always hiding in the obvious meaning of a word. The coin prefixes and metal endings are the key pieces of today’s grid, while the poets and sausage clues require a little more digging.
If today’s puzzle gave you trouble, don’t feel bad. That’s part of the fun of Connections.
Check back tomorrow for the next NYT Connections hints and answers, and follow GamerUrge for more daily puzzle help, gaming news, and guides.
