If you’re looking for the September 2 Connections hints and answers, we’ve got you covered right here:

Hey there, Connectors! I hope you’ve had a smashing week so far.

Next week, Apple will reveal its latest batch of iPhones. We’re expecting to see the iPhone 18 Pro models as well as a foldable iPhone and new watches. Reports suggest the regular iPhone 18 and other variants won’t arrive until spring.

These events always make me think about what I actually want and need from a phone. As much as I’d like to switch to something else, I’m sticking with iPhones. FaceTime is just too important for keeping in touch with family members who are thousands of miles away. I just wish Apple released a model that was more attuned to my needs.

I prefer a smaller phone – the iPhone 5 remains my favorite-sized version. I detest having holes in the screen for a selfie camera. Give me a really thick border around the display again. I’d much rather have that.

Most of all, I really don’t need a fancy camera setup on the rear since I rarely take any photos. A camera is still useful for things like scanning QR codes and translating menus. I just don’t need the camera array to be quite so advanced.

Apple, if you could make your phones a little smaller, worse and cheaper, that would be great, thanks.

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 Thursday, September 3 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.

  • MAX
  • MATCHBOX
  • MAROON
  • AVERAGE
  • BLINK
  • CARMINE
  • SUM
  • FLASH
  • COUNT
  • HEARTBEAT
  • CINNABAR
  • TONKA
  • HOT WHEELS
  • VERMILLION
  • TRICE
  • MICRO MACHINES

Today’s NYT Connections Hints

The hints for today’s Connections categories are:

  • 🟨 Yellow group — in no time at all
  • 🟩 Green group — don't flash these around in front of a bull
  • 🟦 Blue group — tiny rides (don't actually try to ride them)
  • 🟪 Purple group — used in cells, but perhaps not behind bars

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 — TRICE
  • 🟩 Green group — CINNABAR
  • 🟦 Blue group — MATCHBOX
  • 🟪 Purple group — MAX

Today’s NYT Connections Categories

Today’s Connections groups are...

  • 🟨 Yellow group — two shakes of a lamb’s tail
  • 🟩 Green group — shades of red
  • 🟦 Blue group — toy car brands
  • 🟪 Purple group — spreadsheet functions

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 — two shakes of a lamb's tail (BLINK, FLASH, HEARTBEAT, TRICE)
  • 🟩 Green group — shades of red (CARMINE, CINNABAR, MAROON, VERMILLION)
  • 🟦 Blue group — toy car brands (HOT WHEELS, MATCHBOX, MICRO MACHINES, TONKA)
  • 🟪 Purple group — spreadsheet functions (AVERAGE, COUNT, MAX, SUM)

Once I discounted the bands with a number at the end as a red herring – thanks to BLINK matching up with the yellows – I found this one pretty straightforward.

I was surprised the spreadsheet functions were the purples. We had a similar group fairly recently! The toy car brands were up next. MICRO MACHINES made that crystal clear. That left the greens to extend my current streak to 550.

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

Want to know more about how everything fits together? Let’s explore today’s game in more depth in my NYT Connections Answers Explained column. You can check that out by visiting my author page .

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

P.S. Huh, it doesn’t look like I’ve recommended a Blink-182 song in the column before. Let’s fix that right now. This is probably still my favorite Blink song. “Dammit” is right up there for many other fans, too:

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 .