The New York Times released a new edition of its popular word game, Connections, on September 15, 2026. Players were given 16 words to group into four categories based on shared meanings or themes. The words included in this puzzle were: PLANT, COACH, WHISTLE, DESSERT, HANDLE, CABOOSE, DECEMBER, SLEEPER, DIRECT, TRAIN, LID, ASSET, SPOUT, MOLE, EPILOGUE, and GUIDE. Each category was indicated by a color-coded hint: YELLOW for "Tell someone what to do," GREEN for "Used to boil water for tea," BLUE for "Secret agent," and PURPLE for "Tagged on." Players had to match the words to the correct categories based on these clues. The correct groupings were: - **YELLOW: INSTRUCT** (COACH, DIRECT, GUIDE, TRAIN) – These words all relate to giving directions or telling someone what to do. - **GREEN: PARTS OF A WHISTLING KETTLE** (HANDLE, LID, SPOUT, WHISTLE) – These are components of a kettle used to boil water, often for making tea. - **BLUE: UNDERCOVER OPERATIVE** (ASSET, MOLE, PLANT, SLEEPER) – These terms are all slang for individuals working in secret, often in espionage or intelligence. - **PURPLE: THINGS THAT APPEAR AT THE END** (CABOOSE, DECEMBER, DESSERT, EPILOGUE) – These are items or concepts that are typically found at the end of something, like a train, the year, a meal, or a story. The puzzle was described as "hard" by the author, who made two mistakes while solving it. One of the more challenging groupings was the "THINGS THAT APPEAR AT THE END" category. The author initially tried to include LID and HANDLE, which are parts of a kettle, but realized the error when looking at all the tiles together. The author also found the other groupings easier, especially with help from a lifelong love of tea and a recent binge on the TV show Slow Horses, which aided in identifying the "PARTS OF A WHISTLING KETTLE" and "UNDERCOVER OPERATIVE" categories. For those interested in previous puzzles, the article also included the answers from the Connections puzzle on Monday, September 14, 2026. That day’s categories were: - **YELLOW: WATERBIRDS** (COOT, GOOSE, LOON, TEAL) - **GREEN: INFORMANT** (CANARY, RAT, SNITCH, STOOLIE) - **BLUE: COMMON SINGLE-USE PLASTIC ITEMS** (BAG, CUTLERY, STIRRER, STRAW) - **PURPLE: ____GRASS** (BLUE, CRAB, LEMON, WHEAT) The article also provided links to hints and answers for other word games such as Strands, Quordle, and Wordle, all available on the New York Times Games site.