NYT Connections · #1194

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1194) — September 17, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·September 17, 2026

“When a word feels like it fits two places, test it as a noun first, then as a verb — the yellow group in particular hides behind everyday meanings.SPRING has appeared in Connections more times than almost any other word. It has been used for mechanical watch parts, drinking water sources, helical objects, and ways to propel something into the air. Today it plays a quieter, more abstract role.”

NYT Connections hints for September 17, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 BOUNCEThe springy quality that makes a rubber ball return to your hand.

2 FLEXIBILITYThe most literal member of the group — no hidden meaning here, just stretchiness.

3 FOUNTAINNot a water feature — Jackman's 2006 sci-fi drama about love and mortality across three timelines.

4 GIVEA noun, not a verb — the yielding quality a stretchy material has when you pull it.

5 HANDLESNot grips on a bag — LOVE HANDLES is the affectionate term for excess fat around the waist.

6 LANGUAGELOVE LANGUAGE — the way a person expresses or receives affection, popularised by Gary Chapman's book.

7 MINE SHAFTThe vertical tunnel dug into the earth to reach ore or coal.

8 PRESTIGEChristopher Nolan's 2006 thriller about rival magicians — Jackman plays one of them.

9 SEWER LINEThe pipe network running beneath city streets that carries waste away.

10 SHEEP DETECTIVESThe most obscure entry here — a Hugh Jackman film that will stump solvers unfamiliar with his full catalogue.

11 SPRINGNot the season or the coil — here it's the elastic snap-back quality of a material.

12 SUBWAY STATIONThe underground platform where commuters board and exit trains.

13 TAPNot a faucet or a dance style — a LOVE TAP is a gentle, playful hit meant affectionately.

14 TRIANGLEA LOVE TRIANGLE is the classic three-person romantic entanglement — two people competing for one.

15 WELLA shaft sunk into the ground to reach water — the oldest underground structure here.

16 WOLVERINEThe 2013 standalone X-Men film that sent the clawed mutant to Japan.

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint

What a good waistband has that a stiff one lacks.

See Group

ELASTICITY

See Word

BOUNCE

See Word

FLEXIBILITY

See Word

GIVE

See Word

SPRING

See Hint

You would need a hard hat and a torch to visit any of these.

See Group

THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND

See Word

MINE SHAFT

See Word

SEWER LINE

See Word

SUBWAY STATION

See Word

WELL

See Hint

A certain Australian actor's filmography, once you add one word.

See Group

HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"

See Word

FOUNTAIN

See Word

PRESTIGE

See Word

SHEEP DETECTIVES

See Word

WOLVERINE

See Hint

Finish each with the same word and you get a body part, a romantic mess, a gentle nudge, and a communication style.

See Group

LOVE ___

See Word

HANDLES

See Word

LANGUAGE

See Word

TAP

See Word

TRIANGLE

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 SPRING Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of the season, a coiled metal object, or an underground water source — all reasonable reads, but here the puzzle is using it as an abstract quality of a material, not a physical thing or a time of year.

2 GIVE Tap to see why this word traps.

You're almost certainly reading this as the verb meaning to hand something over, but here it's a noun — the yielding quality a stretchy fabric has when you pull it.

3 FOUNTAIN Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably picturing a decorative water feature or an outdoor structure, but here it's a film title — the puzzle is using it in a completely different domain.

4 TAP Tap to see why this word traps.

You're likely thinking of a faucet or a light knock, but here it follows a word that changes everything about what it means.

5 HANDLES Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably reading these as grips on a door or a bag, but here the puzzle is using it in a phrase about the human body, not hardware.

NYT Connections answers for September 17, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y ELASTICITY · Yellow · easiest

BOUNCE
FLEXIBILITY
GIVE
SPRING

BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE and SPRING all describe the elastic, yielding quality of a material. GIVE is the sneakiest — most solvers read it as a verb meaning to hand something over, but here it's the noun used in phrases like 'this fabric has a lot of give.'

G THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND · Green · easy

MINE SHAFT
SEWER LINE
SUBWAY STATION
WELL

MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION and WELL are all structures found underground. SUBWAY STATION is the most familiar but also the most sprawling — some stations run several stories below street level.

B HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE" · Blue · medium

FOUNTAIN
PRESTIGE
SHEEP DETECTIVES
WOLVERINE

FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES and WOLVERINE are all Hugh Jackman films when you put 'The' in front of them. THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is the most obscure entry in the group — if you know it, you almost certainly solved this category without hesitation.

P LOVE ___ · Purple · hardest

HANDLES
LANGUAGE
TAP
TRIANGLE

HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP and TRIANGLE all follow LOVE to make a familiar compound word or phrase. LOVE HANDLES is the most fun — it's a euphemism for the soft fat that sits on the sides of the waist.

Try another puzzle

Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.

Wordle

Today's hint ladder & answer

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Spelling Bee

Answers, pangram & word list

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