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Verified archive for September 13, 2026 Spoiler-safePuzzle #1190

NYT Connections Hints and Answers for September 13, 2026

The September 13, 2026 Connections board contains four official categories spanning physical descriptions, presidential surnames, spoken letter pairs, and words ending in elevated landforms.

Guide editorSofia RamirezEditor

Start here

Take one step at a time

4 groups
Group 1Category hidden
Group 2Category hidden
Group 3Category hidden
Group 4Category hidden

Need more than a hint?

Get a spoiler-safe solving plan

Use three general checks to make progress without seeing a category or answer.

Open today’s solving plan
  1. Prefer an exact rule.A shared topic is only a lead. Look for four words connected in the same precise way.
  2. Find the least flexible word.Use the word with the narrowest meaning to place words that could belong in several groups.
  3. Test the grammar.If the leftovers look unrelated, try placing one common word before or after each answer.

Reveal guide

Choose only as much help as you need

Every group has its own ladder. Opening one level never exposes another group.

  1. 1
    Start with a small hint

    Get a gentle nudge without seeing the category or its words.

  2. 2
    Ask for a stronger hint

    Use a more specific clue before revealing the category.

  3. 3
    Reveal only what you choose

    Open the category, then the four words only when you are ready.

You remain in control. You can move between levels without revealing the rest of the puzzle.

Practice board guide

Try a group without risking your streak

This scratchpad checks your thinking locally. It never sends a guess to the official puzzle.

  1. 1
    Choose four words

    Tap any four tiles that share one precise connection.

  2. 2
    Check the set

    Once four are selected, press “Check these four.”

  3. 3
    Keep it or adjust

    A correct group is confirmed. If it misses, swap one word or open a hint.

Nothing here affects an official streak. Clear the board at any time and try another four.

Today’s puzzle explained

September 13 Connections overview

Preserve the official category relationships literally: the purple words are words ending in elevated landforms, not landforms themselves, and the blue words sound like two alphabet letters spoken in sequence.

Overall difficultyThe yellow group appears first in the verified order, followed by green, blue, and purple; the difficulty notes stay tied to that order rather than adding subjective labels.Biggest trapGARFIELD and ODIE can suggest the Garfield comic-strip characters, but they belong to different official groups here: GARFIELD is with U.S. presidents, while ODIE is with words that sound like two letters.Best first moveStart with the four words that plainly describe a lack of firmness: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, and SLACK. Removing that literal set leaves the proper-name, sound-based, and ending-based patterns easier to test.

Why the board is deceptive

The first group collects four words associated with a lack of firmness or tautness.

The remaining groups shift from presidential surnames to sound-based spelling and word endings.

Open the clean solving route

One way through the board

Test the direct descriptive set first, then separate the four presidential surnames from the remaining proper names. Read the leftover words aloud for the two-letter sound pattern, and inspect the ends of the final four words for elevated landforms.

Spoilers below

Today’s groups and answers

Each group stays hidden until you choose to open it. Reveal one at a time, or keep this section closed while you continue solving.

LACKING IN FIRMNESSReveal this group

What connects DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING and SLACK?

DROOPY · FLACCID · SAGGING · SLACK

LACKING IN FIRMNESS. Each word fits the official category by describing something that is not firm, taut, or held up: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, and SLACK.

Best anchor: The direct firmness set

U.S. PRESIDENTSReveal this group

What connects CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT and MADISON?

CLEVELAND · GARFIELD · GRANT · MADISON

U.S. PRESIDENTS. CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, and MADISON are the four source words in the official U.S. PRESIDENTS category.

Best anchor: The presidential surnames

WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERSReveal this group

What connects EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE and ODIE?

EMPTY · EXCESS · KEWPIE · ODIE

WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS. EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE, and ODIE fit the official category because each sounds like two alphabet letters spoken in a row.

Best anchor: The spoken-letter pattern

ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMSReveal this group

What connects DOUBLESPEAK, HEATHCLIFF, PARAMOUNT and PORRIDGE?

DOUBLESPEAK · HEATHCLIFF · PARAMOUNT · PORRIDGE

ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS. These words end in elevated landform terms: DOUBLESPEAK ends in PEAK, HEATHCLIFF in CLIFF, PARAMOUNT in MOUNT, and PORRIDGE in RIDGE.

Best anchor: The elevated-landform endings

How to solve this Connections puzzle

The thinking route, not just the answers

Use today’s anchor words as a repeatable method: secure an exact group, remove it, and let the remaining board become more specific.

  1. 1
    LACKING IN FIRMNESS

    The direct firmness set

  2. 2
    U.S. PRESIDENTS

    The presidential surnames

  3. 3
    WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS

    The spoken-letter pattern

  4. 4
    ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS

    The elevated-landform endings

Mental model to reuse tomorrow

Exact relationship beats shared topic

Weak rule“These words feel related.”A broad topic can support several tempting but unstable groups.

Strong rule“The same test works for all four.”One precise relationship should explain every answer in the same way.

Today’s best first move: Start with the four words that plainly describe a lack of firmness: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, and SLACK. Removing that literal set leaves the proper-name, sound-based, and ending-based patterns easier to test..

Build your solving vocabulary

Four anchors worth spotting

An anchor is the least flexible word in a possible group. It often exposes the intended relationship before the more ambiguous words do.

The direct descriptive connection appears first in the verified color order. groupLACKING IN FIRMNESS
LACKING IN FIRMNESS: The direct firmness set
The presidential-surname connection appears second in the verified color order. groupU.S. PRESIDENTS
U.S. PRESIDENTS: The presidential surnames
The sound-based connection appears third in the verified color order. groupWORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS
WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE TWO LETTERS: The spoken-letter pattern
The ending-based connection appears fourth in the verified color order. groupENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS
ENDING IN ELEVATED LANDFORMS: The elevated-landform endings

Questions players ask

Connections help without extra spoilers

I’m stuck. Which hint should I open first?

Start with the small hint for the group you feel closest to solving. Use the stronger hint only if the first nudge is not enough, then reveal the category or four words when you want confirmation.

What should I do when five words seem to belong together?

Assume one is a red herring. Look for the word with a strong second meaning, then test whether it forms a cleaner group elsewhere.

What does “Test a group” do?

Select four words and choose “Check these four” to see whether your grouping works. It stays on this page and never submits a guess to the official puzzle or affects a streak.

Do I need to solve the groups in difficulty order?

No. Start with the clearest exact set. Removing an obvious group often exposes the overlapping meanings and wordplay in the harder groups.

Can I check one answer without spoiling the whole puzzle?

Yes. Every group opens independently, so you can reveal one hint, category or set of four words while keeping the other groups hidden.

About the guide editor

Sofia Ramirez

Sofia verifies puzzle dates, public numbers, source facts and the archive details that keep daily guides reliable.

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