NYT Connections Hint & AnswersPuzzle #1207 · September 30, 2026
Stuck on today's NYT Connections puzzle? Get a single-word clue, a category hint, or the full answer for Puzzle #1207 — you choose exactly how much help you need.
Written by Hint Team · Updated September 30, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Puzzle #1207 (September 30, 2026) is rated Hard difficulty.
- 16 words sort into 4 hidden categories — Yellow (easiest) to Purple (hardest).
- Every word and every category has its own spoiler-free hint below.
- Full answers are revealed only when you tap to see them — nothing spoils automatically.
Today's Tip
Today's NYT Connections puzzle uses four very different types of word relationships. One group is built around financial securities. Another contains things that are famously shaken rather than stirred. The Blue group features well-known gangster movies, while the Purple group hides month abbreviations at the beginning of ordinary-looking words. If you are looking for Connections hints for September 30, don't lock in a group just because three words seem to fit. Today's board has a particularly strong James Bond-style misdirect.
Hint For Each Word
Tap any tile to see what it means in today's puzzle — no spoilers.
Hints For All Four Categories
Ordered from easiest to hardest — reveal only as much as you need.
Traps & Misdirects
Words placed on purpose to mislead you — spot these before you burn a guess.
BOND, MARTINI, OCTOPUSSY
These three strongly suggest James Bond. BOND is obviously associated with the character, MARTINI with his famous drink order, and OCTOPUSSY is a Bond film title. But there is no fourth Bond-related word. BOND belongs to Securities, MARTINI belongs to Shaken Things, and OCTOPUSSY belongs to the month-abbreviation group. TechRadar specifically identified this as today's major red herring.
BOND, STOCK
Both are clearly financial terms, making them a strong starting pair. The challenge is recognizing FUTURE and OPTION as securities too.
MARTINI, BOND
This is perhaps the most obvious pair on the board because of James Bond. The puzzle deliberately uses that association to pull you away from the actual groups.
SPRAY PAINT, STOCK
Both can appear in completely different contexts. Spray paint belongs with things that are shaken, while STOCK is a financial security.
ETCH A SKETCH, NOVELTY
Both can feel like toy or novelty-related terms. ETCH A SKETCH belongs to the shaken group, while NOVELTY belongs to the hidden-month group.
OCTOPUSSY, SEPTUM
These look like completely unrelated words. Their connection is hidden at the beginning: OCT and SEP are month abbreviations.
FUTURE, DECENT
Both are ordinary English words at first glance. FUTURE has a financial meaning in the Yellow group, while DECENT hides DEC for December.
DECENT, NOVELTY, OCTOPUSSY, SEPTUM
Don't look for a shared meaning. The connection exists only in the first three letters of each word: DEC, NOV, OCT, and SEP.
BUGSY, CASINO, DONNIE BRASCO, SCARFACE
This group may actually look too obvious once you recognize the movie titles. That's part of the puzzle's balance: the Blue group is straightforward while other groups use more deceptive wordplay.
Today's Full Answers
All four groups, revealed only when you're ready.
Answers are hidden by default so you can solve at your own pace. Tap below when you're ready to see everything.
Stuck on today's NYT Connections puzzle? Our Connections hints help you crack all 16 words into their four correct groups — without spoiling the fun. Start with gentle, spoiler-free clues, and only unlock more as you need them. We'll walk you step by step, from subtle hints to full category reveals and today's complete answers.
How to Use Our NYT Connections Hints
Every player gets stuck at a different point in the puzzle — knowing exactly where you're stuck is the fastest way to find the right hint. Match your situation below, use that hint, and get back to solving.
You Don't Recognize a Word's Meaning
Puzzle editor Wyna Liu often picks words with a specific or unusual meaning, especially in the green, blue, and purple groups. If you don't know what a word means in context, you can't confidently place it.
Use the Word Hint. It explains what that word means for today's puzzle. Just tap any word on the board to open its hint card.
None of the 16 Words Are Clicking Into Groups
Connections categories are built around a theme, not just word meaning — so the link between words isn't always obvious at first glance.
Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a group without naming the category or listing its words. Start with the Yellow Category Hint — yellow is always the easiest.
You Think You Have a Group, But You're Not Sure
A wrong guess costs you one of your four allowed mistakes, so it pays to confirm before you commit.
Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of a group without showing which words belong to it. If your guess matches, go for it; if not, you've dodged a mistake. Tap the color you're testing to see it.
A Word Seems to Fit More Than One Group
Wyna Liu deliberately plants misleading words that look like they belong in more than one category — these trip up more players than anything else in the puzzle.
Use the Traps and Misdirects Hint. It flags the tricky words in today's puzzle and explains why they don't belong where you'd expect.
You Know the Category, Just Not All the Words
You've spotted the theme but can't pin down every word that fits it.
Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one word at a time, so you only see as much as you need — open your identified category and reveal words one by one until the group is complete.
New to Connections, or want to get better?
The full rules, what each difficulty color means, and strategies for spotting traps live in one place — our complete how-to-play guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Today's Connections hints give you a small clue about each group without revealing the full answers right away. You can use them when you're stuck but still want to solve the puzzle yourself.
Still have a question, or spotted a mistake in today's puzzle? Get in touch.
