NYT Connections #1187 for September 10, 2026, features 16 words and four hidden groups. Here are today’s hints and answers.
The biggest distractions are ATLANTIC CITY and BADLANDS, which look like geographical clues, while LEAD can easily be read as a verb instead of an element.
NYT Connections hints for September 10
- Yellow: Four names found on the periodic table.
- Green: Things you might see extending from or positioned around a window.
- Blue: Think of “The Boss” and four of his best-known songs.
- Purple: Ignore the full meanings and inspect the endings. Each hides a word connected with something existing or relevant now.
Main trap: ATLANTIC CITY and BADLANDS may push players toward a places category, but BORN TO RUN and THUNDER ROAD point more clearly toward Bruce Springsteen.
Green clue: Picture the exterior of a house or apartment. Some of these items sit in, beside or extend outward from a window.
Purple clue: Focus only on the final part of each entry. The hidden words are synonyms or near-synonyms connected with the idea of “now” or “currently existing.”
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Chemical elements
Answers: ACTINIUM, KRYPTON, LEAD, SULFUR
All four answers are chemical elements found on the periodic table. LEAD is the main distraction because it also works as a common verb and noun outside chemistry.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: What you might see sticking out of a window
Answers: AIR CONDITIONER, CATIO, CLOTHESLINE, FLOWER BOX
Each can appear in or around a window. A window air conditioner and flower box are familiar examples, while a catio or clothesline makes the connection less immediate.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: Bruce Springsteen classics
Answers: ATLANTIC CITY, BADLANDS, BORN TO RUN, THUNDER ROAD
All four are Bruce Springsteen songs. BORN TO RUN and THUNDER ROAD are the strongest anchors, while ATLANTIC CITY and BADLANDS can initially look like place names rather than song titles.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Ending in synonyms for “happening now”
Answers: ADULT CONTEMPORARY, ALTERNATING CURRENT, REPRESENT, SEXTANT
The connection appears at the end of each entry: adult contemporary, alternating current, represent and sextant. Contemporary, current, present and extant can all relate to something existing, occurring or relevant now.
Why today’s Connections was tricky: The blue group hides song titles inside phrases that can easily suggest geography, while the purple category requires players to stop thinking about the full meanings of the entries and instead inspect their endings.
Today’s solving lesson: When four answers seem unrelated, look at smaller pieces inside the words or phrases. Connections often uses hidden words, endings, titles and alternate meanings to build its toughest categories.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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