Today's Connections has four hidden groups of four. Start with a gentle nudge and only open more if you need it.
Hint 1: One word from each group
Each of these words belongs to a different group.
- Yellow (easiest): BOUNCE
- Green: MINE SHAFT
- Blue: FOUNTAIN
- Purple (hardest): HANDLES
Hint 2: Yellow (easiest) group theme
The yellow group is Elasticity.
Hint 3: Green group theme
The green group is Things That Are Underground.
Hint 4: Blue group theme
The blue group is Hugh Jackman Movies, With "the".
Hint 5: Purple (hardest) group theme
The purple group is Love ___.
Show all four answers
Elasticity
BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING
Things That Are Underground
MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL
Hugh Jackman Movies, With "the"
FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE
Love ___
HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE
About this puzzle
- Edited by Wyna Liu
- Groups are listed from easiest (yellow) to hardest (purple).
Connections deep dive
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): Elasticity
- BOUNCE: (intransitive) To change the direction of motion after hitting an obstacle.
- FLEXIBILITY: The quality of being flexible, whether physically or metaphorically.
- GIVE: (ditransitive) To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
- SPRING: (intransitive) To move or burst forth.
Green: Things That Are Underground
- MINE SHAFT: Alternative form of mineshaft. [A vertical hole through the strata to reach the mineral which is being mined.]
- SEWER LINE: a main in a sewage system
- SUBWAY STATION: a terminal where subways load and unload passengers
- WELL: (manner) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily.
Blue: Hugh Jackman Movies, With "the"
- FOUNTAIN: An artificial, usually ornamental, water feature (usually in a garden or public place) consisting of one or more stre...
- PRESTIGE: The quality of how good the reputation of something or someone is, how favourably something or someone is regarded.
- SHEEP DETECTIVES
- WOLVERINE: A solitary, fierce mammal of the Mustelidae family, Gulo gulo.
Purple (hardest): Love ___
- HANDLES: The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved.
- LANGUAGE: (countable) A body of words, and set of methods of combining them (called a grammar), understood by a community and u...
- TAP: A conical peg or pin used to close and open the hole or vent in a container.
- TRIANGLE: (geometry) A polygon with three sides and three angles.
Play today's Connections at The New York Times
More hints for September 17, 2026
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