TodayHint

Connections September 6, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1277)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The connections between the cards required identifying phrases with similar themes or characteristics. From unrestricted permission to computer slots and redundant abbreviations, each group required a unique perspective to solve.

The sixteen tiles

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

SAT SCOREUPC CODEUSB PORTATM MACHINECARD SLOTBLANK CHECKCOURT SCRIBEPIN NUMBERDIRECTOR'S CUTOPTICAL DRIVECARTE BLANCHEHEADPHONE JACKFREE REIGNPIZZA SLICELCD DISPLAYFULL AUTHORITY

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
    total freedom
    Green
    computer slots
    Blue
    redundant phrases
    Purple
    final versions
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    Phrases that mean complete authority or permission to act as one wishes

    Green group

    Places on a computer where you can insert devices or media

    Blue group

    Common abbreviations often followed by a word that repeats part of the abbreviation

    Purple group

    Phrases ending with terms that describe ways to cut or carve something

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

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    14 characters
    Shortest tile
    8 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    16
    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 related to technology or everyday phrases. Be cautious with terms that have multiple meanings or applications, like 'cut' or 'code'.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    UNRESTRICTED PERMISSION
    Green
    PLACES TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO ON A COMPUTER
    Blue
    ABBREVIATIONS FOLLOWED BY REDUNDANT WORD
    Purple
    ENDING WITH WAYS TO CARVE A SURFACE
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — UNRESTRICTED PERMISSION
    CARTE BLANCHE
    Green — PLACES TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO ON A COMPUTER
    OPTICAL DRIVE
    Blue — ABBREVIATIONS FOLLOWED BY REDUNDANT WORD
    UPC CODE
    Purple — ENDING WITH WAYS TO CARVE A SURFACE
    COURT SCRIBE
    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

    UNRESTRICTED PERMISSION

    BLANK CHECK, CARTE BLANCHE, FREE REIGN, FULL AUTHORITY. The yellow group, 'UNRESTRICTED PERMISSION', includes phrases like 'BLANK CHECK', 'CARTE BLANCHE', 'FREE REIGN', and 'FULL AUTHORITY', all meaning complete freedom to act.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    PLACES TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO ON A COMPUTER

    CARD SLOT, HEADPHONE JACK, OPTICAL DRIVE, USB PORT. The green group, 'PLACES TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO ON A COMPUTER', consists of 'CARD SLOT', 'HEADPHONE JACK', 'OPTICAL DRIVE', and 'USB PORT', all referring to computer slots.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    ABBREVIATIONS FOLLOWED BY REDUNDANT WORD

    ATM MACHINE, LCD DISPLAY, PIN NUMBER, UPC CODE. The blue group, 'ABBREVIATIONS FOLLOWED BY REDUNDANT WORD', features 'ATM MACHINE', 'LCD DISPLAY', 'PIN NUMBER', and 'UPC CODE', which all have redundant parts in their names.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    ENDING WITH WAYS TO CARVE A SURFACE

    COURT SCRIBE, DIRECTOR'S CUT, PIZZA SLICE, SAT SCORE. The purple group, 'ENDING WITH WAYS TO CARVE A SURFACE', includes 'COURT SCRIBE', 'DIRECTOR'S CUT', 'PIZZA SLICE', and 'SAT SCORE', with the last part of each phrase describing a way to carve or cut.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1277) · Sunday, September 6, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
16
Longest tile
FULL AUTHORITY
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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