Connections Hints
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — September 30, 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.
BOND
BUGSY
CASINO
DECENT
DONNIE BRASCO
ETCH A SKETCH
FUTURE
MARTINI
NOVELTY
OCTOPUSSY
OPTION
SCARFACE
SEPTUM
SPRAY PAINT
STOCK
TAMBOURINE
Themes
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
SECURITIESStraightforward
THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED)Moderate
GANGSTER MOVIESTricky
STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONSDevious
One word per group
Theme name plus one word from each category.
SECURITIESStraightforward
THINGS YOU MIGHT TRADE ON WALL STREET+ 3 more…
THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED)Moderate
THINGS THAT WORK BETTER WITH A GOOD SHAKE+ 3 more…
GANGSTER MOVIESTricky
CRIME FILMS FEATURING REAL-LIFE MOBSTERS OR UNDERWORLD FIGURES+ 3 more…
STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONSDevious
WORDS HIDING A MONTH'S ABBREVIATION AT THE START+ 3 more…
Full solution
SECURITIESStraightforward
BOND,FUTURE,OPTION,STOCK
BOND, FUTURE, OPTION, and STOCK are all types of financial securities traded on markets.
THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED)Moderate
ETCH A SKETCH,MARTINI,SPRAY PAINT,TAMBOURINE
ETCH A SKETCH, MARTINI, SPRAY PAINT, and TAMBOURINE are all famously shaken rather than stirred to work properly or by convention.
GANGSTER MOVIESTricky
BUGSY,CASINO,DONNIE BRASCO,SCARFACE
BUGSY, CASINO, DONNIE BRASCO, and SCARFACE are all classic gangster movies depicting organized crime.
STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONSDevious
DECENT,NOVELTY,OCTOPUSSY,SEPTUM
DECENT (DEC), NOVELTY (NOV), OCTOPUSSY (OCT), and SEPTUM (SEP) each begin with a three-letter month abbreviation.