NYT Connections Hints & Answers Today: September 14, 2026 (Puzzle #1191)

If today’s New York Times Connections grid has you burning through your mistakes, you are not alone. Puzzle #1191 features some heavy misdirection, with several words seemingly fitting into a nature or food theme before pulling the rug out from under you.

Here are helpful hints to guide you through today’s puzzle, with the full answers listed further down.

Today’s Connections Strategy & Commentary

Watch out for the red herrings today. At first glance, words like Lemon and Wheat look like they belong together as food or baking terms, while Bag and Straw could easily be grouped as items found in a kitchen.

Committing to those wrong groups early will cost you chances. We recommend looking at the pattern for each category first. Checking whether a group names birds, terms for someone who gives information, common disposable items, or words that come before “grass” will make the remaining words much easier to sort.

Connections Hints Today: Category Clues

If you just need a nudge to get your brain moving in the right direction, here are clues for the four color-coded groups:

• 🟨 Yellow Group Hint (Easiest): Birds that live near or on bodies of water.
• 🟩 Green Group Hint (Medium): Someone who gives secret information or betrays confidence.
• 🟦 Blue Group Hint (Hard): Single-use items often found thrown away after one use.
• 🟪 Purple Group Hint (Tricky): Each word can be followed by the word “grass” to make a common phrase or thing.

Stuck on one word? If you have Coot, think water bird rather than a silly or eccentric person. It belongs to the Yellow group today! For the Purple group, take Crab, it forms a well-known type of grass when added after.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: The full answers are listed below. If you still want to solve the grid yourself using the clues above, do not scroll down.

NYT Connections Answers Today for September 14, 2026, Monday Puzzle #1191

Here are the completed categories and groupings for today’s puzzle:

🟨 Yellow Group: WATERBIRDS

• Coot
• Goose
• Loon
• Teal

🟩 Green Group: INFORMANT

• Canary
• Rat
• Snitch
• Stoolie

🟦 Blue Group: COMMON SINGLE-USE PLASTIC ITEMS

• Bag
• Cutlery
• Stirrer
• Straw

🟪 Purple Group: _ GRASS

• Blue
• Crab
• Lemon
• Wheat

Here is my result for puzzle #1191

🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟦🟩
🟩🟪🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Yesterday’s Answer

This is yesterday’s NYT Connections answer for September 13, 2026, Puzzle #1190.

🟨 Yellow Group: LACKING IN FIRMNESS
🟩 Green Group: U.S. PRESIDENTS
🟦 Blue Group: WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS
🟪 Purple Group: ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS

For older solutions, see our Connections answers archive.

How did you do?

Did today’s puzzle give you a perfect Reverse Rainbow or did the tricky categories wipe out your board? Share your results grid or vent about today’s trickiest crossover words in the comments below.

Check back tomorrow for more hints, strategy tips, and the next answer.