What is the NYT Connections answer for September 17 (#1194)?

The four groups are ELASTICITY (BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING); THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND (MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL); HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE" (FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE); LOVE ___ (HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "LOVE ___" — 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 17, 2026#1194

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Thursday, September 17

DailyWordHints Editorial September 17

ELASTICITY

Easiest

THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND

Easy

HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"

Tricky

LOVE ___

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are ELASTICITY (yellow), THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND (green), HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE" (blue), LOVE ___ (purple).

SPRING

SUBWAY STATION

PRESTIGE

TRIANGLE

TAP

GIVE

LANGUAGE

FOUNTAIN

WELL

BOUNCE

SEWER LINE

HANDLES

SHEEP DETECTIVES

MINE SHAFT

FLEXIBILITY

WOLVERINE

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 #1194, Thursday, September 17. 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 17 (#1194)?: The four groups are ELASTICITY (BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING); THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND (MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL); HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE" (FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE); LOVE ___ (HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "LOVE ___" — 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.