Connections Hints

Thursday, September 17, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — September 17, 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.

BOUNCE
FLEXIBILITY
FOUNTAIN
GIVE
HANDLES
LANGUAGE
MINE SHAFT
PRESTIGE
SEWER LINE
SHEEP DETECTIVES
SPRING
SUBWAY STATION
TAP
TRIANGLE
WELL
WOLVERINE
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Themes

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

ELASTICITYStraightforward
THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUNDModerate
HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"Tricky
LOVE ___Devious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

ELASTICITYStraightforward
WORDS THAT DESCRIBE A MATERIAL'S ABILITY TO STRETCH OR SNAP BACK+ 3 more…
THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUNDModerate
PLACES YOU'D FIND BY DIGGING DOWN BENEATH YOUR FEET+ 3 more…
HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"Tricky
HUGH JACKMAN FILMS THAT ALL BEGIN WITH 'THE'+ 3 more…
LOVE ___Devious
WORDS THAT CAN FOLLOW 'LOVE' TO MAKE A COMMON PHRASE+ 3 more…
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Full solution
ELASTICITYStraightforward
BOUNCE,FLEXIBILITY,GIVE,SPRING

BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, and SPRING are all synonyms or properties related to elasticity — the ability of a material to return to its original shape after being stretched or compressed.

THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUNDModerate
MINE SHAFT,SEWER LINE,SUBWAY STATION,WELL

MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, and WELL are all structures or spaces located underground, beneath the earth's surface.

HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH "THE"Tricky
FOUNTAIN,PRESTIGE,SHEEP DETECTIVES,WOLVERINE

THE FOUNTAIN, THE PRESTIGE, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES (Lesser-known), and THE WOLVERINE are all Hugh Jackman movies whose full titles begin with 'The'.

LOVE ___Devious
HANDLES,LANGUAGE,TAP,TRIANGLE

HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, and TRIANGLE all follow the word LOVE to form common compound words or phrases: LOVE HANDLES, LOVE LANGUAGE, LOVE TAP, and LOVE TRIANGLE.

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