What is the NYT Connections answer for September 21 (#1198)?

The four groups are EMAIL BUTTONS (COMPOSE, DRAFTS, SENT, SPAM); WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH (CHUM, FLY, SPINNER, WORM); CHESS VERBS (CAPTURE, CASTLE, CHECK, MATE); STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES (BEET, BRAH, CHOP, VIVA).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES" — 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.

Monday, September 21, 2026#1198

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Monday, September 21

DailyWordHints Editorial September 21

EMAIL BUTTONS

Easiest

WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH

Easy

CHESS VERBS

Tricky

STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are EMAIL BUTTONS (yellow), WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH (green), CHESS VERBS (blue), STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES (purple).

COMPOSE

CHECK

FLY

BEET

BRAH

WORM

SPAM

MATE

CASTLE

CHUM

VIVA

SENT

CHOP

CAPTURE

DRAFTS

SPINNER

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 #1198, Monday, September 21. 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 21 (#1198)?: The four groups are EMAIL BUTTONS (COMPOSE, DRAFTS, SENT, SPAM); WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH (CHUM, FLY, SPINNER, WORM); CHESS VERBS (CAPTURE, CASTLE, CHECK, MATE); STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES (BEET, BRAH, CHOP, VIVA).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMES" — 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.