What is the NYT Connections answer for September 10 (#1187)?

The four groups are CHEMICAL ELEMENTS (ACTINIUM, KRYPTON, LEAD, SULFUR); WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE STICKING OUT OF A WINDOW (AIR CONDITIONER, CATIO, CLOTHESLINE, FLOWER BOX); BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CLASSICS (ATLANTIC CITY, BADLANDS, BORN TO RUN, THUNDER ROAD); ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW" (ADULT CONTEMPORARY, ALTERNATING CURRENT, REPRESENT, SEXTANT).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW"" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Thursday, September 10, 2026#1187

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Thursday, September 10

DailyWordHints Editorial September 10

CHEMICAL ELEMENTS

Easiest

WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE STICKING OUT OF A WINDOW

Easy

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CLASSICS

Tricky

ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW"

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are CHEMICAL ELEMENTS (yellow), WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE STICKING OUT OF A WINDOW (green), BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CLASSICS (blue), ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW" (purple).

CATIO

ALTERNATING CURRENT

LEAD

CLOTHESLINE

ATLANTIC CITY

REPRESENT

AIR CONDITIONER

ADULT CONTEMPORARY

ACTINIUM

SEXTANT

BADLANDS

SULFUR

THUNDER ROAD

FLOWER BOX

KRYPTON

BORN TO RUN

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1187, Thursday, September 10. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for September 10 (#1187)?: The four groups are CHEMICAL ELEMENTS (ACTINIUM, KRYPTON, LEAD, SULFUR); WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE STICKING OUT OF A WINDOW (AIR CONDITIONER, CATIO, CLOTHESLINE, FLOWER BOX); BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CLASSICS (ATLANTIC CITY, BADLANDS, BORN TO RUN, THUNDER ROAD); ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW" (ADULT CONTEMPORARY, ALTERNATING CURRENT, REPRESENT, SEXTANT).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW"" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.