Connections Hint
Puzzle #1193 · September 16, 2026

NYT Connections Hints for September 16, 2026

Start with the spoiler-free hints. Go deeper only when you need to. Reveal answers on your own terms.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026
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Today’s 16 Puzzle Words
Tap any word to see how it’s used in this puzzle
BARRETTFRANK-N-FURTERSTEAM IRONWADSWORTHNICKELODEONCLINKQUARTERBACKMARIGOLDLONG JOHN SILVERDIMENSIONPENNYWISEWIDENERST. VINCENTLATINBORATCARLOS

Spoiler-Free Hints

Three levels — warmer as you read down
i Ultra safe

A direction for each group — no names given.

  • A shared glint sits at the edges.
  • Something tiny but common starts each of these.
  • A formal, old-fashioned elegance ties these together.
  • One small change makes familiar shapes feel unusual.
ii Warmer

What kind of thinking each group asks for.

  • A glance at the periodic table should make the endings click.
  • Think about small denominations of American money, and look at how each entry begins.
  • Brush up on the full names of famous poets; one part of each name is shown.
  • Think of common edible items, then ask what single character has been added to each.
iii Mild spoilers

Pointed nudges on the words built to fool you.

  • All four words end with the name of a metal element; the final letters are not just ordinary suffixes.
  • The opening letters of each answer form a coin name used in American currency—separate that prefix.
  • Each answer is the often-hidden middle part of a famous poet’s full name.
  • Each answer takes a common encased meat and inserts one extra letter—compare it to the original food term.

Today’s Trap Words

The words engineered to mislead

Every Connections board plants a few decoys. Here are today’s, and why they pull you the wrong way.

PENNYWISE

It jumps out as a horror clown from Stephen King, tempting a pop-culture group with Borat and Frank-N-Furter, but its opening coin is what counts.

LONG JOHN SILVER

It seems like a pirate or seafood-chain name, which could pull you toward fictional characters or restaurants; the puzzle actually cares about the metallic word at the end.

FRANK-N-FURTER

It reads like both a Rocky Horror character and a sausage word, giving it a double identity that is hard to place.

NICKELODEON

It is a beloved television brand, which can distract from the small coin hiding at the start.

Connections Answers — September 16, 2026

Tap any group to reveal it
Answers are hidden — tap a group to peek, or reveal all at once.
ENDING IN METAL ELEMENTS
LATIN · LONG JOHN SILVER · STEAM IRON · MARIGOLD
Tap to reveal
STARTING WITH U.S. COINS
PENNYWISE · NICKELODEON · DIMENSION · QUARTERBACK
Tap to reveal
POETS' MIDDLE NAMES
WADSWORTH · ST. VINCENT · CARLOS · BARRETT
Tap to reveal
SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER
FRANK-N-FURTER · CLINK · BORAT · WIDENER
Tap to reveal
SEE ALSO:
NYT Wordle hints for September 16, 2026 NYT Pips hints for September 16, 2026 NYT Strands hints for September 16, 2026

Category Breakdown — Puzzle #1193

Why each group works — not just what it is

Ending in Metal Elements

LATIN, LONG JOHN SILVER, MARIGOLD, and STEAM IRON all conclude with the name of a metal: tin, silver, gold, and iron. The puzzle hides the elements inside ordinary words and phrases.

Starting With U.S. Coins

DIMENSION, NICKELODEON, PENNYWISE, and QUARTERBACK each begin with a U.S. coin name: dime, nickel, penny, and quarter. The currency theme appears only when you isolate the opening chunk.

Poets' Middle Names

BARRETT, CARLOS, ST. VINCENT, and WADSWORTH are the middle names of famous poets: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Carlos Williams, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Sausages Plus a Letter

BORAT, CLINK, FRANK-N-FURTER, and WIDENER are each formed by taking a type of sausage—brat, link, frankfurter, and wiener—and adding one letter. The alter egos disguise the meaty base words inside pop-culture and surname-sounding forms.

Word Guide — All 16 Puzzle Words

What each word means in this puzzle
BARRETT
A surname often linked to an English poet with a famous literary husband; in poetry it is a middle name.
FRANK-N-FURTER
A character from The Rocky Horror Show; the name echoes a frankfurter with an extra letter inserted.
STEAM IRON
A household appliance used to press wrinkles from clothes; the second word doubles as a common industrial metal.
WADSWORTH
A distinguished surname, best known from the full name of a famous nineteenth-century New England poet.
NICKELODEON
A children's television network; the opening part can also be read as a five-cent coin.
CLINK
A light ringing sound, often of glasses; it also resembles a word for one sausage link with an added letter.
QUARTERBACK
An American football position; the first chunk of the word is also a 25-cent coin.
MARIGOLD
A bright orange-yellow flower common in gardens, and its written form finishes with a valuable yellow metal.
LONG JOHN SILVER
The treasure-hungry pirate from Treasure Island; here, the final word is also a shiny precious metal.
DIMENSION
A measurable extent, such as length or width; the front of the word names a small U.S. coin.
PENNYWISE
The shapeshifting horror clown from Stephen King, though the opening letters suggest a one-cent coin and the phrase 'penny wise.'
WIDENER
A surname found in institutional names; it suggests a Viennese-style sausage with one extra consonant.
ST. VINCENT
A saintly place name and a musician's stage name; it is also the middle name of a celebrated American poet.
LATIN
A classical language whose name ends in a familiar metallic element; spot the last three letters.
BORAT
A mockumentary character created by Sacha Baron Cohen; the name looks like a grilled sausage with an extra vowel.
CARLOS
A Spanish given name; it also appears as the middle name of a notable American modernist poet.

Puzzle Design Analysis

Why the editor constructed it this way

The cleverness here is in nested wordplay: one category hides coin names at the front, another hides metal elements at the back, while the purple set disguises sausage bases with a single added letter. Wyna Liu salts the board with proper-name red herrings—LONG JOHN SILVER, PENNYWISE, BORAT, and FRANK-N-FURTER all whisper a phantom character category. The poets' middle names provide a trivia-based contrast, making the puzzle feel both playful and learned.

Difficulty & Analysis

How tough today’s board really plays
Overall
6.5/10
Most deceptive
PENNYWISE

a textbook decoy

Hardest group
Sausages + a Letter

requires lateral thinking

Connections Strategy Guides

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