NYT Connections Puzzle – September 7 2026 Hints & Answers

It’s that time again – the New York Times dropped its daily Connections grid, and you’ve come looking for a little help. I’m Gael, your friendly CNET editor, and I’ve pulled together the four clues, the answers, and a few side notes that might make the whole thing click.

Hint rundown (from easiest to the brain‑twisters)

Yellow group: “Not sure I believe you.” Think about stories that sound a bit too tall to be true.

Green group: “Think Maidenform.” Something you’d find inside a bra, maybe?

Blue group: “Balsam or Fraser.” Both are associated with evergreen trees – you’re on the right track.

Purple group: “Aurora borealis would be another one.” Hint: it’s a Disney character you might not expect.

Answers (what the puzzle actually spells out)

Yellow – ‘Quite the saga’: fabrication, fish story, tall tale, yarn. Yep, each one is a kind of exaggerated narrative.

Green – ‘Parts of a bra’: cup, hook, strap, underwire. All the bits that keep things in place.

Blue – ‘Associated with pine trees’: car air freshener, Christmas, needles, turpentine. Each of these either comes from pine or smells like it.

Purple – ‘Starting with Disney characters’: plutonium (Pluto), scar tissue (Scar), stitch marker (Stitch), trampoline (Tramp). The trick is that each answer begins with the name of a Disney mascot.

Just for fun, here’s a quick look at some of the most deviously themed Connections puzzles the Times has ever published:

• #5 – “things you can set”: mood, record, table, volleyball.
• #4 – “one in a dozen”: egg, juror, month, rose.
• #3 – “streets on screen”: Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame.
• #2 – “power ___”: nap, plant, Ranger, trip.
• #1 – “things that can run”: candidate, faucet, mascara, nose.

If you’re stuck on future grids, keep an eye on the patterns in these past puzzles – they often rhyme with the hint’s wording in a surprisingly literal way.