Here are the hints and answers for today’s NYT Connections puzzle for September 7, 2026. Today’s puzzle is #1,184 and brings together exaggerated stories, bra components, pine-tree associations and clever Disney character wordplay.
If you are looking for help without spoiling the entire puzzle, start with the hints below. The complete NYT Connections answers are revealed further down, so you can stop once you have enough help to finish the grid yourself.
Clues for Today’s NYT Connections Groups
The hints for today’s NYT Connections clues have been given in four categories, ranging from the easy yellow clue to the most difficult purple clue:
- Yellow group clue: A bit too perfect.
- Green group clue: Recall a typical kind of underwear.
- Blue group clue: Always green and aromatic.
- Purple group clue: Characters from the best fairy land on earth.
The hints refer four very different relations. Some of them can be understood literally, the last one will require that you pay attention only to the starting letters of the word.
Today’s NYT Connections Words
Sixteen words are present in today’s puzzle: NEEDLES, TRAMPOLINE, CHRISTMAS, CUP, PLUTONIUM, TURPENTINE, YARN, SCAR TISSUE, CAR AIR FRESHENER, STITCH MARKER, FABRICATION, HOOK, TALL TALE, STRAP, FISH STORY and UNDERWIRE.
To the eye, some of the words look they can be related to more than one group. Which is, to be honest, the whole point. You simply go for the group that you believe is right and if a puzzle has four words which go hand in hand.
You May Be Wondering What NYT Connections’ Today’s Answers Are
Caution: The full set of solutions is given here.
Yellow: Really the Saga
It really is a quite a story!
The four words are FABRICATION, FISH STORY, TALL TALE and YARN.
Each of the four could be a word for a falsehood or a made-up story. “Fish story” and “tall tale” are two very well-known phrases to denote stories that are a distortion of the truth while “fabrication” basically means lying. “Yarn” can also be used to mean a story that is long or a tale that people enjoy.
Green: Parts of a Bra
The theme is parts of a bra.
The four answers are CUP, HOOK, STRAP and UNDERWIRE.
These are all components commonly associated with a bra. This group is relatively direct, although HOOK can be tempting because it also connects naturally with “fish story.”
Blue: Associated With Pine Trees
The theme is associated with pine trees.
The four answers are CAR AIR FRESHENER, CHRISTMAS, NEEDLES and TURPENTINE.
Pine-scented car air fresheners are a familiar example, while pine needles are part of the tree itself. Christmas is connected with evergreen trees, and turpentine has historically been associated with pine resin.
Purple: Starting With Disney Characters
The theme is starting with Disney characters.
The four answers are PLUTONIUM, SCAR TISSUE, STITCH MARKER and TRAMPOLINE.
This is the trickiest category because the Disney references are hidden at the beginning of longer words or phrases. Plutonium starts with Pluto, scar tissue starts with Scar, stitch marker starts with Stitch, and trampoline starts with Tramp.
How to Solve Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle rewards careful observation. Start with the most obvious group, then remove those words from consideration. Be particularly careful with words such as HOOK and YARN, which can appear to fit other categories before the correct connection becomes clear.
The purple group is a good reminder that Connections is not always about the literal meaning of a word. Looking at prefixes, word beginnings and familiar names can reveal an entirely different pattern.
Conclusion
The September 7 puzzle offers a balanced mix of vocabulary, everyday objects, nature and pop-culture wordplay. The yellow and green groups are relatively accessible, while the pine-tree and Disney categories require more lateral thinking.
If you were searching for today’s NYT Connections hints and answers, the four groups are Quite the Saga, Parts of a Bra, Associated With Pine Trees and Starting With Disney Characters.
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