Need help with NYT Connections #1185 for September 8, 2026? Start with today’s hints, then reveal the four answers when you’re ready.
NYT Connections hints for September 8
- Yellow: Think about famous American cars known for speed, power and performance.
- Green: Think about clothing and accessories commonly associated with the traditional look of a mime.
- Blue: Each answer can be paired with the same body-related word to create a familiar phrase or expression.
- Purple: Think of popular candy-bar brand names, then look for words formed by adding one extra letter.
Main trap: The purple group is likely to cause the most trouble because DOVES, MARSH, SKORT and TWIXT look like unrelated words. The connection appears when one letter is removed from each, revealing Dove, Mars, Skor and Twix.
Blue clue: The shared word is heart. Try placing it after each answer or phrase to form artichoke heart, Purple Heart, Sacred Heart and take to heart.
Purple clue: Do not focus only on meaning. Compare the spelling of each word with familiar candy brands and look for a single added letter.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Classic American performance cars
Answers: CORVETTE, FIREBIRD, MUSTANG, VIPER
Each answer is the name of a well-known American performance car. Corvette, Firebird, Mustang and Viper are all strongly associated with powerful engines and sporty driving.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Features of a mime costume
Answers: BERET, GLOVES, STRIPES, SUSPENDERS
All four are familiar parts of the classic mime look. Berets, gloves, striped clothing and suspenders are commonly used to create the instantly recognizable costume.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: ___ heart
Answers: ARTICHOKE, PURPLE, SACRED, TAKE TO
Each answer combines with “heart” to make a familiar term or expression: artichoke heart, Purple Heart, Sacred Heart and take to heart.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Candy bars plus a letter
Answers: DOVES, MARSH, SKORT, TWIXT
Each word becomes the name of a candy brand after removing one extra letter: DOVES becomes Dove, MARSH becomes Mars, SKORT becomes Skor and TWIXT becomes Twix.
Why today’s Connections was tricky: The yellow and green groups are relatively straightforward once their themes appear, but the blue group mixes different types of “heart” phrases. The purple category is the hardest because it depends on spelling rather than the meanings of the words.
Today’s solving lesson: When a group refuses to connect by definition, examine the words letter by letter. Connections frequently uses added letters, removed letters, hidden brand names and other spelling tricks for its purple category.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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