The yellow category brings together four water-loving birds, making this group one of the more straightforward connections to identify.
The green category features different slang terms and synonyms used to describe an informant or someone who secretly provides information.
The blue category includes familiar plastic items designed for convenient, short-term use before being discarded after serving their purpose.
The NYT Connections September 14 grid is now live, offering players a new challenge. Words like Coot, Rat, Bag, Lemon, Crab make no sense at first glance. To identify themes such as ‘Waterbirds,’ ‘Informant,’ ‘Plastic items that can be used only once,’ and ‘items related to Grass,’ players need to take a careful look at the grid.
The world of word puzzles is massive, but hardly any others compete with the puzzles that The New York Times presents. Whether it's Strands, Connections, or Wordle, each of these web-based word puzzles has its specific word-guessing method. In NYT Connections, the theme isn’t stated initially, but once players guess the right sets, the game reveals the themes:
This puzzle is tricky, but some clues may make things easier for gamers. Here are some hints to help players solve today’s puzzle. Let's start with the hints category-wise:
Easiest Group (Yellow): Today’s yellow group words offer a glimpse into the world of birds that are fond of water.
Moderate Group (Green): Do you watch a lot of movies? You must have seen movies with undercover agents. So, look for the synonyms.
Challenging Group (Blue): Look for plastic items that you can dispose of after use.
Most Difficult Group (Purple): Finally, the purple category words are all related to ‘Grass.’
If you are still a bit confused about the themes of today’s puzzle, below are the one-word hints. From every category, one word is listed below:
COOT
RAT
STIRRER
WHEAT
These one-word hints will help you identify what other words of the category may contain.
The hints should have resolved the confusion and helped players form the groups with fewer errors. However, if that’s not the case and some are still trying to figure out today’s word groups, here are the solutions to the NYT Connections of September 14, 2026.
Yellow Category (WATERBIRDS): COOT, GOOSE, LOON, TEAL
Green Category (INFORMANT): CANARY, RAT, SNITCH, STOOLIE
Blue Category (COMMON SINGLE-USE PLASTIC ITEMS): BAG, CUTLERY, STIRRER, STRAW
Purple Category (___GRASS): BLUE, CRAB, LEMON, WHEAT
These are the four categories for today’s puzzle, and congratulations to those who have solved it without any help.
Also Read: NYT Strands Hints, Answers for September 14, 2026
Check out the image below to know how to make the sets of today’s puzzle:
The September 14 edition of NYT Connections offers players a satisfying mix of waterbirds, informants, single-use plastic items and grass-related words. What begins with familiar bird character and plastic items references gradually evolves into subtler patterns, especially in the ‘grass’ phrases.
This steady progression in difficulty is what makes today’s grid feel rewarding rather than frustrating. Overall, today’s challenge is a reminder of why Connections continues to stand out as one of the most engaging daily brain teasers.
Also Read: Today's NYT Wordle Hints, Answers for September 13, 2026 (Wordle #1912)