If today’s New York Times Connections grid has you burning through your mistakes, you are not alone. Puzzle #1197 features some clever misdirection, with several words seemingly fitting into food or film themes 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 Bourbon and Fried Chicken could look like they belong together, while Blade and Twilight might seem tied to a single obvious category.
Committing to those wrong connections early will cost you chances. We recommend looking at the pattern for each category first. Checking whether a group describes flat round objects, things linked to a U.S. state, titles from vampire films, or words that pair with Boards 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): These are all flat, circular items.
- 🟩 Green Group Hint (Medium): These words all relate to Kentucky.
- 🟦 Blue Group Hint (Hard): These are titles of movies about vampires.
- 🟪 Purple Group Hint (Tricky): Each word can be followed by Boards to name something you ride on.
Stuck on one word? If you have Surf, think transportation first rather than water. It belongs to the Purple group today! For the Blue group, look for films centered on vampire characters or themes.
⚠️ 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 20, 2026, Sunday Puzzle #1197
Here are the completed categories and groupings for today’s puzzle:
🟨 Yellow Group: ROUND FLAT THINGS
- Blu-Ray
- Coaster
- Sand Dollar
- Tortilla
🟩 Green Group: ASSOCIATED WITH KENTUCKY
- Bluegrass
- Bourbon
- Derby
- Fried Chicken
🟦 Blue Group: VAMPIRE MOVIES
- Blade
- Near Dark
- Sinners
- Twilight
🟪 Purple Group: _ BOARDS YOU RIDE ON
- Hover
- Skate
- Snow
- Surf
Here is my result for today’s puzzle.
Connections
Puzzle #1197
🟨🟨🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟪🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟪🟦🟦
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
Yesterday’s Answer
This is yesterday’s NYT Connections answer for September 19, 2026, Puzzle #1196.
🟨 Yellow Group: WIDEN ONE’S SCOPE
🟩 Green Group: FEATURES OF A KID’S DRAWING
🟦 Blue Group: ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960s
🟪 Purple Group: STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS
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.
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