Crush Today’s Connections: Must-See Hints and Clues for September 26

Stuck on today’s NYT Connections and trying to preserve the streak? I’ve got gentle nudges first and the full solution if you need it. No shame. This one might trip you if you overthink it.

Quick refresher

Connections is The New York Times’s daily word-grouping puzzle, built every day by editor Wyna Liu. You get 16 words and need to sort them into four sets of four, each set tied together by a single hidden theme. You get four shots to lock in the categories, and the game will even nudge you when you’re close.

"one away..."

If you’re new, start with the yellow group. It’s usually the friendliest place to begin.

Today’s board - September 26

Here are the 16 words exactly as they appear: DIM, BLACK, PALE, POOL, WHIP, LIGHT, FAINT, BROWN, SUN, WHISK, BLONDE, CREAM, BEAT, RICE, POLAR, WORD.

Hints before the reveal

Yellow: Think kitchen verbs you use when you really mean business.

Green: Think things that are tough to see clearly or are barely there.

Blue: Think a very popular animal. Yes, the meme-friendly kind.

Purple: All four pair with the same trailing word.

Answers for September 26

• Yellow - Vigorous mixing verbs: BEAT, CREAM, WHIP, WHISK
• Green - Hard to make out: DIM, FAINT, LIGHT, PALE (here, LIGHT and PALE mean faint, not brightness)
• Blue - Types of bears: BLACK, BROWN, POLAR, SUN (yes, sun bears are real, and yes, they had a moment online)
• Purple - Dirty ____: BLONDE, POOL, RICE, WORD

More NYT games

If you want more brain candy: NYT Games also has Wordle, Pips, Strands, Tiles, and more. Most are free to play; Crossword and Mini Crossword require a subscription.