If you’re looking for the September 1 Connections hints and answers, we’ve got you covered right here:

It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means: it’s time for another game of Connections !

If I had stuck with my initial plan for this summer, I would have been in Japan right now. I bought tickets for a couple of concerts and was going to spend time in Osaka and Tokyo.

I didn’t end up going. Heat and humidity are difficult enough for me during the summer, and things are typically even more intense in Japan in August. Mix in some general anxiety about traveling, and I couldn’t do it.

I’ve enjoyed seeing stories from the shows on Instagram and do have a little FOMO. Still, I’m at peace with my decision not to be there, because I think it was the correct one for me in the end. Next time there’s a good reason for me to go, I plan to. Just not in the summer.

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 Wednesday, September 2 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.

  • BOW
  • WOW
  • TOP
  • FLOOR
  • CORN
  • SAUSAGE
  • SALTY
  • SHEEP
  • RESCUE
  • ROSIN
  • DAZZLE
  • PRAIRIE
  • SHOULDER REST
  • HUNTING
  • MUTE
  • STUN

Today’s NYT Connections Hints

The hints for today’s Connections categories are:

  • 🟨 Yellow group — overwhelm others
  • 🟩 Green group — handy if you have a particular chordophone
  • 🟦 Blue group — who let them out?
  • 🟪 Purple group — perhaps not quite what you might expect from what they’re called

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 — WOW
  • 🟩 Green group — MUTE
  • 🟦 Blue group — RESCUE
  • 🟪 Purple group — SALTY

Today’s NYT Connections Categories

Today’s Connections groups are...

  • 🟨 Yellow group — flabbergast
  • 🟩 Green group — things in a violin case
  • 🟦 Blue group — _____ dogs (that are dogs)
  • 🟪 Purple group — _____ dogs (that aren’t dogs)

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 — flabbergast (DAZZLE, FLOOR, STUN, WOW)
  • 🟩 Green group — things in a violin case (BOW, MUTE, ROSIN, SHOULDER REST)
  • 🟦 Blue group — _____ dogs (that are dogs) (HUNTING, RESCUE, SAUSAGE, SHEEP)
  • 🟪 Purple group — _____ dogs (that aren't dogs) (CORN, PRAIRIE, SALTY, TOP)

I got the yellows no problem, and I thought I was going to zip through the rest of the game.

I spotted SAUSAGE, HUNTING, SHEEP and TOP. "Oh, types of dogs," I thought. I was one away. "Hmm," I pondered," maybe I'll swap TOP out for RESCUE." That did the trick for the blues.

I then realized there was another type of "____ dog" group. Cue much cackling from me. That's so mean! But I love it. Excellent stuff.

SHOULDER REST and BOW were enough for me to figure out the green category today and wrap up a 549th win on the spin.

I’m happy with that. I suspect this one could be a streak-breaker for many folks. In hindsight, having BOW and WOW together on the top line was a fun internal hint. Good luck (in advance, as I write this)!

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. I have to do it, I’m sorry:

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 .