Connections Hints

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — September 1, 2026

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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid

All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.

AIMEE MANN
ARROW
CROSS MY HEART
FOR REAL
GOLF CLUB
HERCULE POIROT
HOPE DIAMOND
MIKE HAMMER
ON GOD
PICK-UP STICK
PINKY SWEAR
PLANETARIUM
SAM SPADE
SHERLOCK HOLMES
SPAGHETTO
WISHY-WASHY
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Themes

The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.

"I PROMISE!"Straightforward
LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHERModerate
PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTIONTricky
STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTIONDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

"I PROMISE!"Straightforward
THESE PHRASES ALL SERVE AS SOLEMN VOWS OR EMPHATIC ASSURANCES+ 3 more…
LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHERModerate
EACH OF THESE IS A SINGLE SLENDER OBJECT — AND ONE OF THEM IS SURPRISINGLY THE CORRECT SINGULAR FORM+ 3 more…
PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTIONTricky
THESE FICTIONAL SLEUTHS HAVE SOLVED COUNTLESS MYSTERIES ON THE PAGE AND SCREEN+ 3 more…
STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTIONDevious
EACH OF THESE STARTS WITH A WORD THAT MEANS A GOAL, A DESIRE, OR A WISH+ 3 more…
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Full solution
"I PROMISE!"Straightforward
CROSS MY HEART,FOR REAL,ON GOD,PINKY SWEAR

CROSS MY HEART, FOR REAL, ON GOD, and PINKY SWEAR are all expressions used to emphasize sincerity or make a promise.

LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHERModerate
ARROW,GOLF CLUB,PICK-UP STICK,SPAGHETTO

ARROW, GOLF CLUB, PICK-UP STICK, and SPAGHETTO are all long, thin objects. SPAGHETTO is the little-known singular of spaghetti, making them all individual skinny things.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTIONTricky
HERCULE POIROT,MIKE HAMMER,SAM SPADE,SHERLOCK HOLMES

HERCULE POIROT, MIKE HAMMER, SAM SPADE, and SHERLOCK HOLMES are all iconic fictional private investigators from literature and popular culture.

STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTIONDevious
AIMEE MANN,HOPE DIAMOND,PLANETARIUM,WISHY-WASHY

AIMEE MANN (AIM), HOPE DIAMOND (HOPE), PLANETARIUM (PLAN), and WISHY-WASHY (WISH) all begin with words that express intention or desire.

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