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NYT Connections · #1183

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1183) — September 6, 2026

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Earlier Sep 5 This puzzle Sep 6 Later Sep 7

“Lock in the two easiest groups first, then look hard at the last eight words — the hardest group here depends on reading the final word of each phrase as something completely different from its obvious meaning.Today's puzzle has FREE REIGN, which is technically a misspelling of "free rein" — the puzzle uses it anyway as a phrase meaning unrestricted permission. Don't let the spelling trip you up.”

NYT Connections hints for September 6, 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 →

1

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 ATM MACHINEATM already stands for Automated Teller Machine — adding 'machine' says it twice.
2 BLANK CHECKA literal blank check lets you fill in any amount — the phrase means the same kind of unlimited freedom.
3 CARD SLOTThe thin opening that accepts an SD or SIM card.
4 CARTE BLANCHEFrench for 'white card' — a blank document you can fill in however you like, meaning total freedom.
5 COURT SCRIBESCRIBE looks like a legal clerk, but as a verb it means to mark or cut a line into a surface with a pointed tool.
6 DIRECTOR'S CUTCUT reads as a film version, but here it's the basic verb for carving or incising a surface.
7 FREE REIGNA common misspelling of 'free rein' (from horse riding), but used here as a phrase meaning no restrictions.
8 FULL AUTHORITYThe most straightforward of the four — complete power to decide and act.
9 HEADPHONE JACKThe small round socket for a 3.5mm audio plug — increasingly rare on modern laptops.
10 LCD DISPLAYLCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display — 'display' is already in the acronym.
11 OPTICAL DRIVEThe tray or slot that accepts a CD or DVD — mostly gone from thin laptops.
12 PIN NUMBERPIN stands for Personal Identification Number — 'number' is already baked in.
13 PIZZA SLICESLICE reads as a food portion, but as a verb it means to cut cleanly through a surface.
14 SAT SCORESCORE reads as a test result, but as a verb it means to incise a line into a surface — what glaziers do to glass before breaking it.
15 UPC CODEUPC stands for Universal Product Code — 'code' is the redundant word here.
16 USB PORTThe rectangular (or oval, if USB-C) socket that accepts a USB connector.
2

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 boss gives you when they trust you completely.
See Group UNRESTRICTED PERMISSION
See WordBLANK CHECK
See WordCARTE BLANCHE
See WordFREE REIGN
See WordFULL AUTHORITY
See Hint Where you plug things in on a laptop.
See Group PLACES TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO ON A COMPUTER
See WordCARD SLOT
See WordHEADPHONE JACK
See WordOPTICAL DRIVE
See WordUSB PORT
See Hint Saying the same thing twice without realising it.
See Group ABBREVIATIONS FOLLOWED BY REDUNDANT WORD
See WordATM MACHINE
See WordLCD DISPLAY
See WordPIN NUMBER
See WordUPC CODE
See Hint Each phrase ends with a word a woodworker might use.
See Group ENDING WITH WAYS TO CARVE A SURFACE
See WordCOURT SCRIBE
See WordDIRECTOR'S CUT
See WordPIZZA SLICE
See WordSAT SCORE
3

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 SAT SCORE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading SAT as the standardized test and SCORE as a numerical result — but the puzzle is using SCORE as a verb meaning to incise a surface, not as a test result.
2 COURT SCRIBE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a legal clerk who copies documents — but here SCRIBE is being used as a verb meaning to mark a line into a surface with a sharp tool.
3 DIRECTOR'S CUT Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a filmmaker's preferred version of a movie — but the puzzle is treating CUT as a verb meaning to carve or incise, not a film term.
4 PIZZA SLICE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading this as a wedge of pizza — but SLICE here is treated as a verb meaning to cut through a surface, not a food portion.

NYT Connections answers for September 6, 2026

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

Y UNRESTRICTED PERMISSION · Yellow · easiest
  • BLANK CHECK
  • CARTE BLANCHE
  • FREE REIGN
  • FULL AUTHORITY

BLANK CHECK, CARTE BLANCHE, FREE REIGN and FULL AUTHORITY all mean total, unrestricted permission to act. CARTE BLANCHE is the sneakiest — its French origin makes it feel like it belongs somewhere fancier, but it means exactly the same thing as the others.

G PLACES TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO ON A COMPUTER · Green · easy
  • CARD SLOT
  • HEADPHONE JACK
  • OPTICAL DRIVE
  • USB PORT

CARD SLOT, HEADPHONE JACK, OPTICAL DRIVE and USB PORT are all physical openings on a computer that accept an inserted device or media. OPTICAL DRIVE is the odd one out in feel — it's a bay you load a disc into rather than a port you plug a cable into, but it still fits the 'insert something' idea.

B ABBREVIATIONS FOLLOWED BY REDUNDANT WORD · Blue · medium
  • ATM MACHINE
  • LCD DISPLAY
  • PIN NUMBER
  • UPC CODE

ATM MACHINE, LCD DISPLAY, PIN NUMBER and UPC CODE all repeat a word already contained in the acronym — ATM means Automated Teller Machine, LCD means Liquid Crystal Display, PIN means Personal Identification Number, and UPC means Universal Product Code. This is sometimes called RAS syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome). PIN NUMBER is probably the most common offender in everyday speech.

P ENDING WITH WAYS TO CARVE A SURFACE · Purple · hardest
  • COURT SCRIBE
  • DIRECTOR'S CUT
  • PIZZA SLICE
  • SAT SCORE

COURT SCRIBE, DIRECTOR'S CUT, PIZZA SLICE and SAT SCORE all end with a word that means to carve or incise a surface: to scribe (mark a line with a sharp tool), to cut (carve into), to slice (cut through) and to score (incise a line, as you do to glass before snapping it). SAT SCORE is the cruelest trap — SCORE as a carving verb is far less familiar than SCORE as a test result.

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