Puzzle #1189

NYT Connections Hints and Answers for Saturday, September 12, 2026

Puzzle #1189 · Saturday, Sep 12, 2026

Stuck on Connections puzzle #1189? Each group below starts with a gentle hint. Open a starter word, then the category, and only reveal the full answers when you are ready. Your progress is remembered on this device.

Nothing is revealed until you tap it.

Clues and hints for each group

Yellow group Straightforward

Hint: Four different ways of saying roughly the same thing.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: BUMPER STICKER

Show the category

Ways to Personalize a Car

Green group Moderate

Hint: Four of the sixteen words share a link. The category name begins with the letter P.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: LURKER

Show the category

People in an Online Forum

Blue group Tricky

Hint: Picture where or when you would meet all four together in everyday life.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: CURSOR

Show the category

Things That Blink

Purple group Hardest

Hint: Think of one short word that can follow each of the four to make a familiar phrase.

Show one word from this group

One word that belongs here: NERD

Show the category

___ Alert

Full answers for puzzle #1189

Reveal all four groups and their words

Ways to Personalize a Car

BUMPER STICKER FUZZY DICE HOOD ORNAMENT VANITY PLATE

People in an Online Forum

LURKER POSTER SPAMMER TROLL

Things That Blink

CURSOR EYELIDS SMOKE DETECTOR TURN SIGNAL

___ Alert

NERD RED SPOILER WEATHER

More Connections hints

Other Saturday puzzles

Questions people ask

How hard is NYT Connections puzzle #1189?

Puzzle #1189 from September 12, 2026 follows the usual pattern: yellow is the gentlest group and purple the trickiest.

How can I get a hint for the September 12, 2026 Connections puzzle without spoilers?

Every group on this page opens with a one-line hint. One word from the group and then the category name sit behind separate buttons, and the full answers stay hidden until you open them.

When does the new Connections puzzle come out?

A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight in your local time zone. We usually publish the next puzzle's hints the evening before, US time, so they are ready when your grid refreshes. See today's hints →

How many mistakes are you allowed in Connections?

You have four mistakes. The fourth wrong guess ends the game, so you can safely miss three times. If the game says you are "one away", three of your four words are correct.

Where can I find yesterday's Connections answers?

Open the Yesterday page for the previous puzzle, or search the archive by date, puzzle number, word or category. Yesterday's hints →