What is the NYT Connections answer for September 25 (#1202)?

The four groups are LUXE (BOUGIE, FANCY, POSH, SWANK); PARTS OF A MECHANICAL CLOCK (ESCAPEMENT, PENDULUM, RATCHET, SPRING); FAMOUS DANS (AYKROYD, LEVY, RATHER, SAVAGE); TAXONOMIC RANKS PLUS A LETTER (BORDER, CLASSY, FOAMILY, GENIUS).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "TAXONOMIC RANKS 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.

TodayFriday, September 25, 2026#1202

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, September 25

DailyWordHints Editorial September 25

LUXE

Easiest

PARTS OF A MECHANICAL CLOCK

Easy

FAMOUS DANS

Tricky

TAXONOMIC RANKS PLUS A LETTER

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are LUXE (yellow), PARTS OF A MECHANICAL CLOCK (green), FAMOUS DANS (blue), TAXONOMIC RANKS PLUS A LETTER (purple).

RATHER

BOUGIE

GENIUS

SPRING

BORDER

RATCHET

SWANK

SAVAGE

CLASSY

LEVY

PENDULUM

FANCY

ESCAPEMENT

POSH

FOAMILY

AYKROYD

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 #1202, Friday, September 25. 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 25 (#1202)?: The four groups are LUXE (BOUGIE, FANCY, POSH, SWANK); PARTS OF A MECHANICAL CLOCK (ESCAPEMENT, PENDULUM, RATCHET, SPRING); FAMOUS DANS (AYKROYD, LEVY, RATHER, SAVAGE); TAXONOMIC RANKS PLUS A LETTER (BORDER, CLASSY, FOAMILY, GENIUS).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "TAXONOMIC RANKS 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.