Buzz
If you need help solving the Connections puzzle for Wednesday, September 6, 2023, keep reading—I’ll provide hints, strategies, and eventually reveal the answers to all four categories. Warning: Spoilers ahead for September 6, NYT Connections #87! Scroll down for clues and the final solution to today’s game.
For quick access to our daily Connections hints, bookmark this page. You can also explore past hints to catch up on any puzzles you might have missed.
A Guide to Playing Connections
For a comprehensive guide on playing Connections, here’s a quick recap of the rules:
Start by accessing the Connections game either on the New York Times website or through their Crossword app. The game board displays 16 tiles, each containing a word or phrase. Your objective is to identify a set of four tiles that share a common theme. These could be similar items (e.g., RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW, which are all forms of precipitation) or involve wordplay (e.g., BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH, which are all types of lists: bucket list, guest list, etc.).
Choose four items and click the Submit button. A correct guess will reveal the category and its corresponding color. (Yellow represents the easiest category, followed by green, blue, and purple.) If your guess is wrong, you’ll have another opportunity to try.
You succeed by correctly identifying all four groups. However, if you make four incorrect guesses before completing the puzzle, the game ends, and the answers are disclosed.
Strategies to Win Connections
To succeed in Connections, remember that the groupings are intentionally deceptive. Be prepared for overlapping categories. For instance, one puzzle appeared to feature six breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. However, BACON was part of a painters group alongside CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG belonged to a category of items that come in dozens (including JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). Always double-check that your selected group of four fits exclusively before submitting.
When you’re stuck, focus on words that seem unrelated. For example, if WHISTLER only reminds you of the famous painting “Whistler’s Mother,” you might be onto something. During my own attempt, I had to search whether Close was a painter’s name, as it didn’t align with any obvious themes.
If you’re struggling, another effective strategy is to seek hints. Below, I’ll provide subtle clues for today’s Connections answers. Further down, I’ll disclose the themes and solutions. Scroll carefully and use only the hints you need!
Does today’s Connections puzzle require specialized knowledge?
Not at all—today’s game is quite straightforward. In the spoiler section below, before revealing the answers, I’ll clarify the meanings of some ambiguous terms, such as what type of PLANT is being referenced.
Clues for the themes in today’s Connections puzzle
Here are some spoiler-free hints to help you with today’s Connections groupings:
Yellow category - Monsters are lurking here!
Green category - A florist or botanist would easily identify these (though they might argue the category title isn’t entirely accurate, but let’s save the nitpicking for later).
Blue category - Perfect for fans of spy films.
Purple category - Animals. Well, mostly. You’ll understand soon.
Does today’s Connections puzzle include any wordplay?
No, the groupings are purely based on the meanings of the words.
Ready to discover the answers? Continue scrolling if you’d like a bit more assistance.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead for today’s Connections puzzle!
We’re about to reveal some of the answers. Scroll carefully if you want to avoid seeing the full solution. (The complete answers are further down.)
Which words in today’s Connections have multiple meanings?
PLANT can refer to greenery, a factory, or an undercover agent. In this case, it’s the last one.
DRAGON is always a mythical creature, but today it doesn’t belong with the other mythical beings on the board.
BUD can mean an unopened flower, a friend (buddy), or cannabis (derived from the flower meaning). Today, it refers to the flower.
STALK can mean following someone, and SPY can mean observing, but these two words are in separate categories today.
What are the categories in today’s Connections puzzle?
Yellow: MYTHICAL CREATURES
Green: PARTS OF A FLOWER
Blue: TERMS RELATED TO SPYING
Purple: ANIMALS FROM THE CHINESE ZODIAC
WARNING: THE FULL SOLUTION IS BELOW
Ready to uncover the answers to today’s Connections puzzle? I’ll reveal them all below.
What are the yellow category words in today’s Connections?
The yellow category is designed to be the easiest. Today’s yellow group theme is MYTHICAL CREATURES, and the words are: GNOME, GOBLIN, OGRE, TROLL.
What are the green category words in today’s Connections?
The green category is intended to be the second-easiest. Today’s green group theme is PARTS OF A FLOWER, and the words are: BUD, LEAF, PETAL, STALK. (Technically, a bud is a flower, a leaf isn’t strictly part of a flower, and a stalk refers to a plant’s stem, which supports the flower but isn’t part of it. Perhaps the category should have been called PARTS OF A FLOWERING PLANT, but that might have sounded too formal. Oh well.)
What are the blue category words in today’s Connections?
The blue category is the second-hardest. Today’s blue group theme is TERMS RELATED TO SPYING, and the words are: AGENT, MOLE, PLANT, SPY.
What are the purple category words in today’s Connections?
The purple category is the most challenging. Today’s purple group theme is ANIMALS FROM THE CHINESE ZODIAC, and the words are: DRAGON, HORSE, RABBIT, TIGER.
How I figured out today’s Connections
I solved this one without notes! The first group I noticed was the flower parts. PLANT didn’t seem to fit with the specific flower components, so I grouped BUD, LEAF, PETAL, and STALK together. It worked.
Next, HORSE, RABBIT, and TIGER stood out as the only animals. I immediately connected them to the Chinese zodiac (we’re currently in the Year of the Rabbit), which meant DRAGON completed the set.
The remaining groups were easy to identify: four terms related to espionage (SPY, AGENT, MOLE, PLANT) and four mythical creatures (OGRE, GNOME, GOBLIN, TROLL).
Connections Puzzle #87 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨
