NYT Connections Game #1201 (September 24) serves up a mix of costume clues, springy objects, pointed imagery and one fiendish anagram cluster.
Today’s board moves fast if you spot the vampire costume pieces early, but the anagrams will slow down even experienced solvers.
SPOILER WARNING: Below are full hints and the answers for Game #1201. If you’re still playing, stop now.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Sixteen options to sort into four groups of four:
- THE BEAR | FOAM FINGER | POGO STICK | FACE PAINT
- BOBBLEHEAD | BEER HAT | UNCLE SAM | CAPE
- CREATION OF ADAM | TRAMPOLINE | FANGS | BREATHE
- FAKE BLOOD | I’M WITH STUPID SHIRT | SNAKES IN A CAN | HERB TEA
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Spoiler-light nudges for each colour.
- 🟡 Yellow: Accessories and makeup you’d assemble for a classic vampire look.
- 🟢 Green: Things that use a spring or a sudden springing motion as their defining trait.
- 🔵 Blue: Images or items that explicitly include a pointing gesture or direction.
- 🟣 Purple: These four entries are letter rearrangements of one another — watch for hidden permutations.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
The exact group titles for Game #1201.
- 🟡 Yellow: PARTS OF A VAMPIRE COSTUME
- 🟢 Green: THINGS WITH SPRING/S
- 🔵 Blue: FEATURING POINTING
- 🟣 Purple: ANAGRAMS
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are the four correct groups for Game #1201.
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | PARTS OF A VAMPIRE COSTUME | CAPE, FACE PAINT, FAKE BLOOD, FANGS |
| 🟢 Green | THINGS WITH SPRING/S | BOBBLEHEAD, POGO STICK, SNAKES IN A CAN, TRAMPOLINE |
| 🔵 Blue | FEATURING POINTING | CREATION OF ADAM, FOAM FINGER, I’M WITH STUPID SHIRT, UNCLE SAM |
| 🟣 Purple | ANAGRAMS | BEER HAT, BREATHE, HERB TEA, THE BEAR |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The natural entry point was the vampire costume set. CAPE, FANGS, FAKE BLOOD and FACE PAINT form a tight, instantly recognisable cluster — the sort of theme you can lock in on the first two guesses and then clear without much risk.
The trickiest group was the anagram quartet. BEER HAT, BREATHE, HERB TEA and THE BEAR are the same letters shuffled, but each looks plausible in other contexts: BEER HAT reads like fan apparel, THE BEAR is an animal phrase, and BREATHE could pull you toward verbs or commands. That overlap made the purple set easy to miss until you spotted the repeating letter pattern. Equally sneaky were the fan-costume decoys — FOAM FINGER, BEER HAT, I’M WITH STUPID SHIRT and UNCLE SAM all carry “fan” or costume vibes, which can tempt you away from the correct groupings (note FOAM FINGER actually belongs in the pointing set).
If you’re stuck, spend your first safe guess on CAPE or FANGS — the vampire theme is the clearest anchor and frees up safer exploration of the remaining ambiguous items like BEER HAT and FOAM FINGER.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — obvious costume and spring sets offset by a deceptive anagram cluster.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1200)
Quick recap of Game #1200’s groups.
- 🟡 Yellow (THINGS YOU GRAB BEFORE LEAVING THE HOUSE): KEYS, PHONE, SUNGLASSES, WALLET
- 🟢 Green (WEBSITE HURDLES): AGE VERIFICATION, CAPTCHA, COOKIE CONSENT, PAYWALL
- 🔵 Blue (THINGS THAT COME IN CANS): CONDENSED MILK, PAINT, SHAVING CREAM, SPAM
- 🟣 Purple (ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR “TERM”): BITCOIN, RECORD LABEL, RUB-A-DUB, SURINAME
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle in which you must sort 16 words into four groups of four based on shared associations. Groups can be literal, cryptic, or based on wordplay such as anagrams.
How to play NYT Connections
- From 16 tiles, find four sets of four words that share a common connection.
- Select words you think belong together; a correct set locks in, an incorrect set costs you progress.
- Clear all four groups with as few mistakes as possible to maximise your score.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1199 — September 22
- 🟡 DEMONSTRATIVES: THAT, THESE, THIS, THOSE
- 🟢 EMBELLISHMENT: ACCENT, DETAIL, FLOURISH, TOUCH
- 🔵 OPTIONS ON A MULTIPLE CHOICE SURVEY: AGREE, DISAGREE, NEUTRAL, OTHER
- 🟣 BEVERAGES WITH ACUTE ACCENTS REMOVED: CAFE, PATRON, ROSE, THE
Game #1198 — September 21
- 🟡 EMAIL BUTTONS: COMPOSE, DRAFTS, SENT, SPAM
- 🟢 WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH: CHUM, FLY, SPINNER, WORM
- 🔵 CHESS VERBS: CAPTURE, CASTLE, CHECK, MATE
- 🟣 STARTS OF COMPOSERS’ NAMES: BEET, BRAH, CHOP, VIVA
Game #1197 — September 20
- 🟡 ROUND FLAT THINGS: BLU-RAY, COASTER, SAND DOLLAR, TORTILLA
- 🟢 ASSOCIATED WITH KENTUCKY: BLUEGRASS, BOURBON, DERBY, FRIED CHICKEN
- 🔵 VAMPIRE MOVIES: BLADE, NEAR DARK, SINNERS, TWILIGHT
- 🟣 ___BOARDS YOU RIDE ON: HOVER, SKATE, SNOW, SURF
Game #1196 — September 19
- 🟡 WIDEN ONE’S SCOPE: BRANCH OUT, DIVERSIFY, EXPAND, GROW
- 🟢 FEATURES OF A KID’S DRAWING: HOUSE, STICK FIGURE, SUN, TREE
- 🔵 ASSOCIATED WITH SWINGING LONDON IN THE 1960S: CARNABY STREET, MINISKIRT, MOD, TWIGGY
- 🟣 STARTING WITH ABBREVIATED MATH FUNCTIONS: COS LETTUCE, LOG CABIN, SIN CITY, TAN LINE
Game #1195 — September 18
- 🟡 SEGMENT OF A PROCESS: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP
- 🟢 ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER
- 🔵 PARTS OF A FLIGHT: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF
- 🟣 ___CASE: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER
Game #1194 — September 17
- 🟡 ELASTICITY: BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING
- 🟢 THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND: MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL
- 🔵 HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH “THE”: FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE
- 🟣 LOVE ___: HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE
More daily puzzle help from HashTechWave
- Today’s NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers
- Today’s NYT Spelling Bee answers and pangram
- Today’s Wordle hints, clues and answer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle unlock?
A brand-new puzzle drops every single night at midnight local time across your specific region’s time zone on NYT Connection official site.
Why do some words seem to fit into two different groups?
The puzzle is specifically designed to include “decoys” or overlapping vocabulary. Always look for a backup configuration of words before locking in an early guess to protect your attempt counter.
Can I review answers to older puzzles?
Yes — we keep the past week of solutions right here on this page. Scroll up to the “Past week’s NYT Connections answers” section for every recent grid, newest first, plus a full breakdown of yesterday’s puzzle.
