What is the NYT Connections answer for September 12 (#1189)?

The four groups are WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR (BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE); PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM (LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL); THINGS THAT BLINK (CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL); ___ ALERT (NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "___ ALERT" — 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.

Saturday, September 12, 2026#1189

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Saturday, September 12

DailyWordHints Editorial September 12

WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR

Easiest

PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM

Easy

THINGS THAT BLINK

Tricky

___ ALERT

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR (yellow), PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM (green), THINGS THAT BLINK (blue), ___ ALERT (purple).

TURN SIGNAL

WEATHER

POSTER

BUMPER STICKER

VANITY PLATE

CURSOR

SPOILER

TROLL

SMOKE DETECTOR

FUZZY DICE

SPAMMER

NERD

RED

EYELIDS

HOOD ORNAMENT

LURKER

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 #1189, Saturday, September 12. 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 12 (#1189)?: The four groups are WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR (BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE); PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM (LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL); THINGS THAT BLINK (CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL); ___ ALERT (NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "___ ALERT" — 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.