The New York Times Connections puzzle for Saturday, September 5th, 2026, offers a fresh set of word groupings designed to test players' lateral thinking. This edition features categories that require players to identify a common thread among seemingly disparate words, a hallmark of the popular daily brain teaser.
One of the groups, labeled "Move Unsteadily," includes words like Sway, Toddle, Totter, and Wobble. Another category, "Bird Onomatopoeia," comprises words such as Coo, Gobble, Honk, and Warble, representing sounds associated with different avian species.
The puzzle also presents a "___head" category, where players must find words that commonly precede "head," with Bobble, Hammer, Jug, and Sleepy forming this group. Finally, the "Desserts Minus Last Letter" category challenges players to identify desserts and then consider their names with the final letter removed. This group consists of Cobble, Pi, Tar, and Tort.
Players seeking assistance can utilize daily hints that provide clues for each group. For example, the "Yellow" hint suggests "The floor isn't moving, you are," pointing towards unsteady movement. The "Green" hint, "Tweet tweet," directly relates to bird sounds. The "Blue" hint, "The front half is enough to change something's identity," offers a more abstract clue for the "___head" category, while the "Purple" hint, "Take a bite off the end and read it again," guides players toward the dessert-themed group.
The New York Times Connections puzzle is released daily at midnight, providing a consistent challenge for puzzle enthusiasts. Successfully solving the puzzle, with or without hints, allows players to maintain their daily streak.