Need help with NYT Connections #1196 for September 19, 2026? Start with these spoiler-free hints for all four groups, then reveal todayâs Connections answers only when youâre ready.

NYT Connections hints for September 19
- Yellow: Think about increasing your reach, range or variety instead of staying focused on one narrow area.
- Green: Picture a simple drawing made by a child using crayons or markers.
- Blue: Think about fashion, culture and famous names linked to London during the swinging 1960s.
- Purple: Look closely at the beginning of each phrase. The first part may remind you of something from a math class.
Main trap: SUN and TAN may look as though they belong together because both can relate to spending time outdoors. However, they belong to completely different groups, making that pairing a useful distraction.
Blue clue: TWIGGY and MINISKIRT are the strongest anchors. From there, think about another fashion movement and one famous London shopping street strongly associated with the 1960s.
Purple clue: COS LETTUCE, LOG CABIN, SIN CITY and TAN LINE seem unrelated at first. Focus on the opening three letters of each phrase rather than the meaning of the full expression.
Todayâs NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Widen oneâs scope
Answers: BRANCH OUT, DIVERSIFY, EXPAND, GROW
All four describe becoming broader in reach, activity or variety. A person or business can BRANCH OUT into something new, DIVERSIFY its options, EXPAND its operations or simply GROW beyond its current limits.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Features of a kidâs drawing
Answers: HOUSE, STICK FIGURE, SUN, TREE
These are familiar elements often seen in a simple childâs drawing. A HOUSE, STICK FIGURE, SUN and TREE can easily appear together in a basic crayon picture.
SUN may tempt players toward TAN LINE, but the two belong to separate categories.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: Associated with swinging London in the 1960s
Answers: CARNABY STREET, MINISKIRT, MOD, TWIGGY
All four are strongly associated with the style and culture of swinging London during the 1960s. CARNABY STREET became a fashion hotspot, the MINISKIRT became an era-defining look, MOD culture shaped youth fashion and music, and TWIGGY emerged as one of the decadeâs best-known models.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: Starting with abbreviated math functions
Answers: COS LETTUCE, LOG CABIN, SIN CITY, TAN LINE
Each phrase begins with an abbreviation used in mathematics: COS for cosine, LOG for logarithm, SIN for sine and TAN for tangent.
The trick is to ignore the full meaning of each phrase and instead examine the mathematical abbreviation hiding at the beginning.
Why todayâs Connections was tricky: The puzzle mixes straightforward visual and cultural associations with a more technical wordplay category. SUN and TAN LINE create a tempting connection, while the Purple group requires players to notice abbreviations rather than shared meanings.
Todayâs solving lesson: If four words refuse to connect by meaning, inspect their spelling. Connections frequently uses prefixes, abbreviations and hidden word patterns to build its toughest Purple categories.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.













