TodayHint

Connections September 17, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1296)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The connections for September 17, 2024, included groups like elasticity, underground structures, Hugh Jackman movies, and a popular romantic phrase.

The sixteen tiles

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

SPRINGSUBWAY STATIONPRESTIGETRIANGLETAPGIVELANGUAGEFOUNTAINWELLBOUNCESEWER LINEHANDLESSHEEP DETECTIVESMINE SHAFTFLEXIBILITYWOLVERINE

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
    Bouncy terms
    Green
    Buried infrastructure
    Blue
    Jackman's notable roles
    Purple
    A romantic phrase
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    These words describe the ability to bend or stretch without breaking.

    Green group

    These are structures or systems that are located beneath the Earth's surface.

    Blue group

    These movies star Hugh Jackman and have a specific article in their titles.

    Purple group

    These phrases complete a common expression related to affection or relationships.

  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. 4 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.

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

    Which tiles pulled in two directions.

    Some cards could fit into multiple categories, especially 'TAP' and 'SPRING', which could relate to different themes. Be cautious with 'SHEEP DETECTIVES', which might seem out of place.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    ELASTICITY
    Green
    THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND
    Blue
    HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"
    Purple
    LOVE ___
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — ELASTICITY
    FLEXIBILITY
    Green — THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND
    SEWER LINE
    Blue — HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"
    PRESTIGE
    Purple — LOVE ___
    TRIANGLE
    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

    ELASTICITY

    BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING. The yellow group, 'ELASTICITY', consists of 'BOUNCE', 'FLEXIBILITY', 'GIVE', and 'SPRING'.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND

    MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL. The green group, 'THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND', consists of 'MINE SHAFT', 'SEWER LINE', 'SUBWAY STATION', and 'WELL'.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"

    FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE. The blue group, 'HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"', consists of 'FOUNTAIN', 'PRESTIGE', 'SHEEP DETECTIVES', and 'WOLVERINE'.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    LOVE ___

    HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE. The purple group, 'LOVE ___', consists of 'HANDLES', 'LANGUAGE', 'TAP', and 'TRIANGLE'.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1296) · Thursday, September 17, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
4
Longest tile
SHEEP DETECTIVES
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

More Connections

See the live Connections hints and answers page for the current board, or browse every archived Connections date by month.

Try another puzzle