Connections Hints

Monday, September 21, 2026

Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — September 21, 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.

BEET
BRAH
CAPTURE
CASTLE
CHECK
CHOP
CHUM
COMPOSE
DRAFTS
FLY
MATE
SENT
SPAM
SPINNER
VIVA
WORM
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Themes

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

EMAIL BUTTONSStraightforward
WAYS TO ATTRACT FISHModerate
CHESS VERBSTricky
STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMESDevious
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One word per group

Theme name plus one word from each category.

EMAIL BUTTONSStraightforward
THINGS YOU MIGHT CLICK IN YOUR INBOX+ 3 more…
WAYS TO ATTRACT FISHModerate
A FISHERMAN'S TRICKS OF THE TRADE+ 3 more…
CHESS VERBSTricky
ACTIONS YOU MIGHT TAKE ON A BLACK-AND-WHITE BOARD+ 3 more…
STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMESDevious
THESE SYLLABLES BEGIN FAMOUS CLASSICAL COMPOSERS' SURNAMES+ 3 more…
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Full solution
EMAIL BUTTONSStraightforward
COMPOSE,DRAFTS,SENT,SPAM

COMPOSE, DRAFTS, SENT, and SPAM are all folders or action buttons found in an email client like Gmail or Outlook

WAYS TO ATTRACT FISHModerate
CHUM,FLY,SPINNER,WORM

CHUM (bait scattered in water), FLY (fly fishing lure), SPINNER (spinning lure), and WORM (worm bait) are all methods or lures used to attract fish

CHESS VERBSTricky
CAPTURE,CASTLE,CHECK,MATE

CAPTURE, CASTLE, CHECK, and MATE are all verbs used in the game of chess describing moves or game states

STARTS OF COMPOSERS' NAMESDevious
BEET,BRAH,CHOP,VIVA

BEET(hoven), BRAH(ms), CHOP(in), and VIVA(ldi) are the opening syllables of the surnames of classical composers Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, and Vivaldi

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