Today’s NYT Connections #1184 for September 7, 2026 has some tricky wordplay. Here are spoiler-free hints followed by the answers for all four groups.

NYT Connections hints for September 7
- Yellow: Think about stories or claims that may be exaggerated, invented or difficult to believe.
- Green: Think about the different components that make up a bra.
- Blue: These are all things commonly associated with pine trees.
- Purple: Look at the beginning of each answer. Each one starts with the name of a well-known Disney character.
Main trap: The purple group is likely to cause the most trouble because the full words and phrases do not appear to have much in common. The connection only becomes clear when you focus on their beginnings: PLUTO, SCAR, STITCH and TRAMP.
Blue clue: Think beyond the tree itself. Pine trees can be connected with seasonal traditions, their physical features, familiar scents and products made from their resin.
Purple clue: Break each answer into two parts. The opening letters form the names Pluto, Scar, Stitch and Tramp, all recognizable Disney characters.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Quite the saga
Answers: FABRICATION, FISH STORY, TALL TALE, YARN
Each answer can describe an invented, exaggerated or highly embellished story. A fabrication is something made up, while fish story, tall tale and yarn can all refer to stories that stretch the truth.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Parts of a bra
Answers: CUP, HOOK, STRAP, UNDERWIRE
Each word names a familiar component of a bra. Cups provide shape and support, hooks fasten the garment, straps sit over the shoulders and underwire can provide additional structure.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: Associated with pine trees
Answers: CAR AIR FRESHENER, CHRISTMAS, NEEDLES, TURPENTINE
All four answers have a connection to pine trees. Pine-shaped car air fresheners are familiar scented accessories, Christmas trees are often varieties of pine or similar evergreens, needles grow on pine trees and turpentine is traditionally produced from pine resin.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Starting with Disney characters
Answers: PLUTONIUM, SCAR TISSUE, STITCH MARKER, TRAMPOLINE
Each answer begins with the name of a Disney character: PLUTO in plutonium, SCAR in scar tissue, STITCH in stitch marker and TRAMP in trampoline.
Why today’s Connections was tricky: The yellow group contains several different ways to describe an unreliable or exaggerated story, while the purple category depends on spotting hidden character names at the beginning of otherwise unrelated words and phrases.
Today’s solving lesson: When four answers do not connect naturally by definition, examine how the words are constructed. Connections often uses hidden names, beginnings, endings and word fragments to build its hardest categories.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.













