If you’re looking for the September 13 Connections hints and answers, we’ve got you covered right here .

Hey there, Connectors! I hope you had a fabulous weekend. I’m very happy to be back here with you for another weekday run of this column I love putting together for you so very much.

As ever, we’ll kickstart the week with a fun, upbeat song. If I can do anything to help you get those endorphins flowing, I am more than happy to do that.

I really loved “She’s So High” by Tal Bachman when I was a kid. I don’t really agree with its premise these days – we are all equal and it’s not healthy to put others on a pedestal – but I still enjoy singing along to this power-pop song when I don’t think too carefully about the lyrics:

Before we start, we’ve got a lovely community on Discord , where we chat about Connections , the rest of the NYT games and all kinds of things. You’re more than welcome to join us!

Also, my weekend editions of this column are available over on my newsletter, Pastimes . I sometimes write about other things that are on my mind there as well.

Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, September 14 are coming right up. Let’s get rolling!

Connections is a free New York Times daily word game that you can play on the NYT ’s website or Games app. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the Connections archive, which includes every previous game.

Connections presents you with a grid of 16 words (sometimes phrases, symbols or numbers). The aim is to arrange them into four groups of four. You don’t know how they hit together or what the category for each group is: that’s what you have to figure out.

There’s only one correct solution and there are often red herrings. You can guess incorrectly three times. A fourth wrong guess, and it’s game over.

Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to deduce, followed by green, blue and purple. Often, the yellow and green groups have synonyms, the blues have cultural references and the purples have some kind of wordplay involved. But this is not a hard and fast rule. Be ready for curveballs – part of the fun of Connections is in how the NYT shakes things up to keep you on your toes.

As with Wordle and similar games, it’s easy to share results with your friends using an emoji-based grid. The game tracks your progress too.

Many players take pride in having long win streaks or getting a reverse rainbow – correctly guessing the purple, blue, green and yellow groups in that order with no mistakes. That adds an extra little challenge.

Today’s NYT Connections Word List

After today’s Connections word list, I’ll give you a hint for each category. After that, I’ll reveal one word that goes into each group. Then I’ll reveal the categories, followed by the full answers.

  • STRAW
  • CRAB
  • COOT
  • LEMON
  • BLUE
  • CANARY
  • TEAL
  • RAT
  • LOON
  • BAG
  • WHEAT
  • CUTLERY
  • SNITCH
  • GOOSE
  • STIRRER
  • STOOLIE

Today’s NYT Connections Hints

The hints for today’s Connections categories are:

  • 🟨 Yellow group — spotted splashing around and in the skies
  • 🟩 Green group — a notorious tipper
  • 🟦 Blue group — wasteful wares
  • 🟪 Purple group — like eel, oat, worm and super

One Answer For Each NYT Connections Group

Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory.

Let’s take a look at one answer for each group.

  • 🟨 Yellow group — COOT
  • 🟩 Green group — STOOLIE
  • 🟦 Blue group — BAG
  • 🟪 Purple group — CRAB

Today’s NYT Connections Categories

Today’s Connections groups are...

  • 🟨 Yellow group — waterbirds
  • 🟩 Green group — informant
  • 🟦 Blue group — common single-use plastic items
  • 🟪 Purple group — _____grass

Today’s NYT Connections Answer

Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers.

This is your last chance to look away.

This is your final warning!

Today’s Connections answers are...

  • 🟨 Yellow group — waterbirds (COOT, GOOSE, LOON, TEAL)
  • 🟩 Green group — informant (CANARY, RAT, SNITCH, STOOLIE)
  • 🟦 Blue group — common single-use plastic items (BAG, CUTLERY, STIRRER, STRAW)
  • 🟪 Purple group — _____grass (BLUE, CRAB, LEMON, WHEAT)

LOON and GOOSE paved the way into the yellows for me. I just hat to remember that COOL and TEAL were birds too.

CUTLERY, STIRRER and STRAW initially felt like things you’d find at a coffee shop. You know those stations where you add milk and whatnot? BAG sort of made sense with those. So I got the blues, if not the exact category.

I knew CANARY, RAT and SNITCH were all other names for an informant. I’m not sure why STOOLIE spoke to me, but I rolled that into my guess and got the greens.

I have never heard of crabgrass, but that didn’t stop me from figuring out the purple category and extending my streak to 561 with a perfect game.

How did you get on this time? Here’s my grid:

Be sure to check my blog for hints and the answer for tomorrow’s game of Connections if you need them.

P.S. I had another song in mind for today, but the green and purple groups inspired me to go with a Supergrass track instead. Brilliant band. “Moving” is one of their best songs:

Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Be kind to yourself and each other! Call someone you love!

Please follow my blog for more NYT Connections hints and help with other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. I’d really appreciate that as it helps me out. If you share this column with others who play Connections, that would be lovely too. You can also read my weekend editions of this column and more of my writing at my newsletter, Pastimes .