Connections September 24, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1302)
Recap
The puzzle required grouping 16 tiles into categories that ranged from the easily recognizable 'PARTS OF A VAMPIRE COSTUME' to the more challenging 'ANAGRAMS'. Solvers had to think creatively about vampire accessories, objects with springs, images featuring pointing, and words that could be anagrams of each other.
The sixteen tiles
The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.
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.
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Hint 1: Four one-line nudges, one per group
The softest hint there is.
- Yellow
- Spooky attire
- Green
- Bouncy things
- Blue
- Directional gestures
- Purple
- Rearranged letters
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Hint 2: What linked each group, described
Still no titles and no tiles named.
Yellow group
Items you'd wear or use to create a certain mythical creature's look
Green group
Objects that often use coiled metal to store energy for movement or play
Blue group
Images or objects that prominently feature an extended arm or finger
Purple group
Words or phrases that can be spelled using the same letters as another word or phrase
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Hint 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. 11 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.
- Tiles
- 16 across 4 groups
- Longest tile
- 21 characters
- Shortest tile
- 4 characters
- Multi-word tiles
- 11
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Hint 4: The trap on this board
Which tiles pulled in two directions.
Some cards could fit into multiple categories at first glance, be cautious with cards like 'CREATION OF ADAM' and 'UNCLE SAM' which could relate to multiple themes, and consider how 'BEER HAT' might be interpreted.
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Hint 5: The four category titles
Half the answer.
- Yellow
- PARTS OF A VAMPIRE COSTUME
- Green
- THINGS WITH SPRING/S
- Blue
- FEATURING POINTING
- Purple
- ANAGRAMS
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Hint 6: One tile from each group
The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.
- Yellow — PARTS OF A VAMPIRE COSTUME
- FACE PAINT
- Green — THINGS WITH SPRING/S
- TRAMPOLINE
- Blue — FEATURING POINTING
- FOAM FINGER
- Purple — ANAGRAMS
- HERB TEA
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
PARTS OF A VAMPIRE COSTUME
CAPE, FACE PAINT, FAKE BLOOD, FANGS. The yellow group, 'PARTS OF A VAMPIRE COSTUME', includes 'CAPE', 'FACE PAINT', 'FAKE BLOOD', and 'FANGS'.
Green group · 4 tiles
THINGS WITH SPRING/S
BOBBLEHEAD, POGO STICK, SNAKES IN A CAN, TRAMPOLINE. The green group, 'THINGS WITH SPRING/S', consists of 'BOBBLEHEAD', 'POGO STICK', 'SNAKES IN A CAN', and 'TRAMPOLINE'.
Blue group · 4 tiles
FEATURING POINTING
CREATION OF ADAM, FOAM FINGER, I'M WITH STUPID SHIRT, UNCLE SAM. The blue group, 'FEATURING POINTING', features 'CREATION OF ADAM', 'FOAM FINGER', 'I'M WITH STUPID SHIRT', and 'UNCLE SAM'.
Purple group · 4 tiles
ANAGRAMS
BEER HAT, BREATHE, HERB TEA, THE BEAR. The purple group, 'ANAGRAMS', comprises 'BEER HAT', 'BREATHE', 'HERB TEA', and 'THE BEAR'.
This board by the numbers
- Puzzle
- (#1302) · Thursday, September 24, 2026
- Tiles
- 16 in a 4 × 4 grid
- Groups
- 4, yellow to purple
- Multi-word tiles
- 11
- Longest tile
- I'M WITH STUPID SHIRT
- Mistakes allowed
- 4 before the board locked
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