Connections Hints for September 15, 2026: Clues and Answers

Today's Connections has four hidden groups of four. Start with a gentle nudge and only open more if you need it.

PLANTCOACHWHISTLEDESSERTHANDLECABOOSEDECEMBERSLEEPERDIRECTTRAINLIDASSETSPOUTMOLEEPILOGUEGUIDE

Hint 1: One word from each group

Each of these words belongs to a different group.

Hint 2: Yellow (easiest) group theme

The yellow group is Instruct.

Hint 3: Green group theme

The green group is Parts Of A Whistling Kettle.

Hint 4: Blue group theme

The blue group is Undercover Operative.

Hint 5: Purple (hardest) group theme

The purple group is Things That Appear At The End.

Show all four answers

Instruct

COACH, DIRECT, GUIDE, TRAIN

Parts Of A Whistling Kettle

HANDLE, LID, SPOUT, WHISTLE

Undercover Operative

ASSET, MOLE, PLANT, SLEEPER

Things That Appear At The End

CABOOSE, DECEMBER, DESSERT, EPILOGUE

About this puzzle

More about today's puzzle. Everything in this section can include the answer.

Why each word belongs in its group, with a short dictionary meaning where one exists.

Yellow (easiest): Instruct

COACH: (originally Oxford University slang) A trainer or instructor.
DIRECT: Proceeding without deviation or interruption.
GUIDE: Someone who guides, especially someone hired to show people around a place or an institution and offer information an...
TRAIN: Elongated or trailing portion.

Green: Parts Of A Whistling Kettle

HANDLE: The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved.
LID: The top or cover of a container.
SPOUT: A tube or lip through which liquid or steam is poured or discharged.
WHISTLE: (ambitransitive) To make a shrill, high-pitched sound by forcing air through the mouth. To produce a whistling sound,...

Blue: Undercover Operative

ASSET: A thing or quality that has value, especially one that generates cash flows.
MOLE: Any of several small, burrowing, insectivorous mammals of the family Talpidae.
PLANT: (botany) An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or he...
SLEEPER: Someone who sleeps.

Purple (hardest): Things That Appear At The End

CABOOSE: (US, rail transport) The last car on a freight train, consisting of cooking and sleeping facilities for the crew; a g...
DECEMBER: The twelfth and last month of the Gregorian calendar, following November and preceding the January of the following y...
DESSERT: The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc.
EPILOGUE: A brief oration or script at the end of a literary piece; an afterword