What is the NYT Connections answer for September 16 (#1193)?

The four groups are ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS (LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, MARIGOLD, STEAM IRON); STARTING WITH U.S. COINS (DIMENSION, NICKELODEON, PENNYWISE, QUARTERBACK); POETS' MIDDLE NAMES (BARRETT, CARLOS, ST. VINCENT, WADSWORTH); SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER (BORAT, CLINK, FRANK-N-FURTER, WIDENER).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER" — 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.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026#1193

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Wednesday, September 16

DailyWordHints Editorial September 16

ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS

Easiest

STARTING WITH U.S. COINS

Easy

POETS' MIDDLE NAMES

Tricky

SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS (yellow), STARTING WITH U.S. COINS (green), POETS' MIDDLE NAMES (blue), SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER (purple).

FRANK-N-FURTER

LATIN

CLINK

PENNYWISE

WADSWORTH

NICKELODEON

BORAT

LONG JOHN SILVER

ST. VINCENT

STEAM IRON

WIDENER

DIMENSION

QUARTERBACK

CARLOS

MARIGOLD

BARRETT

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 #1193, Wednesday, September 16. 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 16 (#1193)?: The four groups are ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS (LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, MARIGOLD, STEAM IRON); STARTING WITH U.S. COINS (DIMENSION, NICKELODEON, PENNYWISE, QUARTERBACK); POETS' MIDDLE NAMES (BARRETT, CARLOS, ST. VINCENT, WADSWORTH); SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER (BORAT, CLINK, FRANK-N-FURTER, WIDENER).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER" — 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.