Buzz
If you need help solving the Connections puzzle for Saturday, September 9, 2023, you’re in the right place. I’ll provide clues, strategies, and eventually reveal the answers to all four categories. Warning: Spoilers ahead for September 9, NYT Connections #90! Scroll down for hints and the final solution to today’s game.
For easy access to 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 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 all relate to types of lists: bucket list, guest list, etc.).
Choose four items and press Submit. A correct guess will reveal the category and its corresponding color (yellow being the easiest, 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 Master Connections
To succeed in Connections, understand that the groupings are intentionally deceptive. Overlapping categories are common. For instance, a puzzle might appear to feature six breakfast items: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. However, BACON might belong to a group of painters like CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG could fit into a category of items counted by the dozen, such as JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH. Always verify your group of four before submitting to ensure accuracy.
When stuck, focus on words that seem unrelated. For example, if WHISTLER only brings to mind the famous painting “Whistler’s Mother,” you might be onto a theme. During my own solving process, I even researched whether Close was a painter’s name, as it didn’t align with any obvious categories.
If you’re struggling, another effective strategy is to seek hints. Below, I’ll provide subtle clues for today’s Connections puzzle. Further down, I’ll disclose the themes and answers. Scroll carefully and use only the hints you need!
Does today’s Connections puzzle demand any niche knowledge?
Not particularly. Familiarity with baseball, fishing, or seafood cooking might help you recognize some specialized terms, but general knowledge should suffice.
Clues for the themes in today’s Connections puzzle
Below are some hints for today’s Connections groupings, free of spoilers:
Yellow category - Making the correct decision is key.
Green category - This category is all about intensity.
Blue category - Something seems off here.
Purple category - Communication is the key to solving this one.
Does today’s Connections puzzle include any wordplay?
Yes. One category revolves around words with dual meanings—though understanding just one meaning might still lead you to the answer. Another category focuses on how the words are pronounced.
Are you ready to discover the answers? Continue scrolling if you need a bit more assistance.
WARNING: Spoilers for today’s Connections puzzle are ahead!
We’re about to reveal some answers. Scroll carefully if you wish to avoid seeing the entire solution. (The complete answers are located further down.)
What are the words with multiple meanings in today’s Connections?
STRIKE can mean to hit something, to fail in baseball, or to protest for better working conditions.
SMELT refers to a small fish or, in British English, the past tense of “smell.”
CARP can mean to complain incessantly or denote a type of freshwater fish.
SAFE can be a secure storage container or describe a state of being free from danger. In baseball, it means reaching base without being tagged out.
FORGE can mean to create or shape something, like forging metal or forging a bond. It can also refer to the furnace or workshop where metalwork is done.
FLOUNDER can mean to struggle clumsily or refer to a flatfish with eyes that move to one side of its face as it matures, helping it lie flat on the ocean floor.
What are the categories in today’s Connections puzzle?
Yellow: BASEBALL TERMS
Green: SOURCES OF HEAT
Blue: FISH THAT ALSO FUNCTION AS VERBS
Purple: WORDS WITH A SILENT “L”
WARNING: THE FULL SOLUTION IS PROVIDED BELOW
Curious about the answers to today’s Connections? I’ll reveal them all below.
What words belong to the yellow category in today’s Connections?
The yellow category is designed to be the simplest. Today’s yellow group revolves around BASEBALL TERMS, featuring the words: BALL, OUT, SAFE, and STRIKE.
What words are included in the green category for today’s Connections?
The green category is intended to be the second-easiest. Today’s green theme is SOURCES OF HEAT, with the words: FORGE, FURNACE, KILN, and OVEN.
What words belong to the blue category in today’s Connections?
The blue category is ranked as the second-most challenging. Today’s blue theme is FISH THAT ALSO FUNCTION AS VERBS, including the words: CARP, CATFISH, FLOUNDER, and SMELT.
What words are part of the purple category in today’s Connections?
The purple category is regarded as the most challenging. Today’s purple theme is SILENT “L,” featuring the words: COLONEL, SALMON, WALK, and YOLK.
How I figured out today’s Connections puzzle
I initially noticed the fish-related words, but YOLK and COLONEL stood out. WALK and SALMON also seemed unusual with their placement of the letter L. I wondered if it was about a silent L and repeated the words to myself. While I pronounce “yolk” differently from “yoke,” it still seemed to fit. (Interestingly, there’s regional variation in how the “L” in yolk is pronounced.)
After submitting those words (correctly!), I was left with four fish: CARP, CATFISH, FLOUNDER, and SMELT. It didn’t immediately click that they were fish that also functioned as verbs, but I managed to solve it anyway.
The remaining categories were simple to identify. Baseball umpire calls were obvious, and then I was left with various furnace types. Today’s puzzle was an easy win for me.
Connections Puzzle #90 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩
