The NYT Connections puzzle for September 28, 2026 has been solved, and the answers are out. The game, which asks players to find common threads between words, resets after midnight each day. Today’s set of words falls into four categories, and the solution has been posted online.
The puzzle is credited to associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, who helped create the game and bring it to the Times’ Games section. Players can solve it on web browsers or mobile devices, and each puzzle features 16 words split into four groups.
How Connections Works
In Connections, players group four words that share something in common. Correct groupings remove those words from the board. Wrong guesses count as mistakes, and players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
The board can be rearranged and shuffled to make spotting connections easier. Each group is color-coded: yellow is the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, players can share their results on social media.
The Clues Given
Before posting the full answers, the article offered hints about each category without naming the words inside them. Here’s what readers were told:
- Yellow: Jack and the bean___
- Green: Seafood
- Blue: Cars
- Purple: Philosophical symbols
These hints were meant to nudge players toward the correct answers without giving them away outright.
The Categories Explained
Today’s categories were then revealed in full. The yellow category is “Things with stalks,” which points directly to bamboo, celery, corn, and wheat. The green category is “Oyster condiments,” which includes horseradish, lemon, mignonette, and tabasco.
The blue category is “Dodge models,” covering challenger, charger, durango, and viper. The purple category is “Three letters plus repeated trigrams,” which includes arkansas, chihuahua, possesses, and springing.
What the Answers Reveal
Each hint pointed directly to its answer without needing a guess. The yellow category’s “Things with stalks” was a dead giveaway for bamboo, celery, corn, and wheat. The green category’s “Seafood” pointed to condiments used with oysters, which matched horseradish, lemon, mignonette, and tabasco.
The blue category’s “Cars” named actual Dodge models, and the purple category’s “Three letters plus repeated trigrams” described words like arkansas, chihuahua, possesses, and springing.
Playing the Game Yourself
For anyone who wants to solve the puzzle without seeing the answers, the article offers a path forward. The hints are available, and the categories are known. Players can work through the 16 words on their own, using the color-coding to guide which groups to tackle first.
The game resets after midnight each day, so tomorrow’s set of words will be different. The strategy of reading the category carefully remains the same.
A Note on the Format
The format of the article itself is worth noting. It opens with a hint, then reveals the full answer, and closes with links to other puzzles. That structure mirrors the game’s own design: offer a clue, let the player think, then confirm the answer.
The article also directs readers to today’s Wordle solution and to hints for NYT Strands, another puzzle in the Times’ lineup. It also points to Mashable’s games hub, which offers Mahjong, Sudoku, and a free crossword.
The Schedule for Tomorrow
Since the puzzle resets after midnight each day, here’s a quick look at how the days break down for playing:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| Midnight | Puzzle resets; new set of 16 words appears |
| Morning | New categories and hints posted |
| Evening | Full solution for today’s puzzle posted |
That means anyone solving tomorrow’s puzzle should mark midnight as the point where the board refreshes and the new words arrive.
Key Facts
- Game: NYT Connections #1204
- Date: September 28, 2026
- Reset: After midnight each day
- Categories: Yellow (Things with stalks), Green (Oyster condiments), Blue (Dodge models), Purple (Three letters plus repeated trigrams)
- Mistakes allowed: Up to four
- Creator: Associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu
The solution is out. The game moves on. For anyone who wants to solve tomorrow’s puzzle, the same process applies: read the category, look for the common thread, and check the color-coding to see which groups are left. The hints will be there again, and the words will wait.
Source material: “NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 28, 2026,” Mashable.
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