TodayHint

Connections September 1, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1257)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The groups were well-distributed in terms of difficulty, with the easiest being phrases used to make promises and the hardest being titles starting with words of intention. Solvers had to think creatively to connect the cards in each group.

The sixteen tiles

The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.

PLANETARIUMARROWHOPE DIAMONDFOR REALSAM SPADEWISHY-WASHYMIKE HAMMERGOLF CLUBCROSS MY HEARTPICK-UP STICKSHERLOCK HOLMESAIMEE MANNPINKY SWEARHERCULE POIROTSPAGHETTOON GOD

Connections hints, one rung at a time

Six rungs, softest first. The recap above already named the groups, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.

  1. Four one-line nudges, one per group

    The softest hint there is.

    Yellow
    Childhood vows
    Green
    Thin objects
    Blue
    Fictional detectives
    Purple
    Intention phrases
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    Phrases people use to make a serious promise or assurance to each other in an informal way.

    Green group

    These are all things that are characterized by being long and slender, often used or seen in groups.

    Blue group

    These are all famous characters from literature and film who work as private investigators or detectives.

    Purple group

    These all start with phrases that express a person's intention or goal, often related to art or creative works.

  3. Board facts

    Counted off the sixteen printed tiles.

    Sixteen tiles, four groups of four, ordered yellow → green → blue → purple from most to least obvious. 12 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    15 characters
    Shortest tile
    5 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    12
    Back to the sixteen tiles
  4. The trap on this board

    Which tiles pulled in two directions.

    Some cards could fit into more than one group, especially those that describe everyday objects or abstract concepts. Be careful not to confuse 'PINKY SWEAR' with other phrases, or 'SPAGHETTO' with other food items.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    "I PROMISE!"
    Green
    LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHER
    Blue
    PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTION
    Purple
    STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTION
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — "I PROMISE!"
    PINKY SWEAR
    Green — LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHER
    SPAGHETTO
    Blue — PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTION
    SHERLOCK HOLMES
    Purple — STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTION
    WISHY-WASHY
    Open the full groupings

Every Connections group from that board

All four groups, folded. Opening one tints its four tiles above and captions them with the category name.

  • Yellow group · 4 tiles

    "I PROMISE!"

    CROSS MY HEART, FOR REAL, ON GOD, PINKY SWEAR. The yellow group, 'I PROMISE!', includes phrases like 'CROSS MY HEART', 'FOR REAL', 'ON GOD', and 'PINKY SWEAR', all of which are used to make promises or assurances.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHER

    ARROW, GOLF CLUB, PICK-UP STICK, SPAGHETTO. The green group, 'LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHER', consists of 'ARROW', 'GOLF CLUB', 'PICK-UP STICK', and 'SPAGHETTO', which are all long and slender objects.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTION

    HERCULE POIROT, MIKE HAMMER, SAM SPADE, SHERLOCK HOLMES. The blue group, 'PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTION', features 'HERCULE POIROT', 'MIKE HAMMER', 'SAM SPADE', and 'SHERLOCK HOLMES', all of whom are famous fictional detectives.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTION

    AIMEE MANN, HOPE DIAMOND, PLANETARIUM, WISHY-WASHY. The purple group, 'STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTION', includes 'AIMEE MANN', 'HOPE DIAMOND', 'PLANETARIUM', and 'WISHY-WASHY', which all start with phrases that express intention or goal.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1257) · Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
12
Longest tile
SHERLOCK HOLMES
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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