Look, we’ve all been there. You open the NYT app, coffee in hand, and stare at sixteen words that seem to have absolutely zero relationship with one another. It's frustrating. It's a specific kind of mental itch that only a purple category win can scratch. If you are hunting for a Connections hint September 22, you probably already know that Wyna Liu—the game’s editor—likes to play with our heads. She’s brilliant at it. She finds words that live in two worlds at once and forces us to choose the wrong one first.
The September 22 puzzle is a masterclass in misdirection. You might see a word and think it belongs to a group about gardening, only to realize three minutes and two lives later that it’s actually a slang term for money or a specific type of bird. That's the beauty of the game. It isn't just a vocabulary test; it's a test of how your brain categorizes the world when it's under pressure.
Honestly, the hardest part of the September 22 grid isn't the obscure words. It’s the words that are too common. When a word is simple, we assume its meaning is simple. But in Connections, a simple word like "Point" or "Case" is a trap waiting to spring.
Breaking Down the Connections Hint September 22 Logic
If you want to solve this without burning through all your mistakes, you have to look for the "overlap." That’s the industry term for when a word fits into multiple potential categories. For the September 22 puzzle, the overlap is particularly nasty. You might find yourself staring at words that look like they describe parts of a book, but wait—they also describe parts of a legal trial.
Why We Get Stuck
Our brains love patterns. We see "Page," "Chapter," and "Verse," and our thumb instinctively reaches for the screen to submit. Don't do it. Not yet. Always find the fourth word before you commit. If you can only find three words that fit a theme, that theme is almost certainly a red herring designed to waste your turns. On September 22, the red herrings are out in full force.
One of the groups today involves things that are "Small" or "Miniature." But it's not just about size. It’s about the context of that size. Think about things you find in a specific setting—maybe a laboratory or a kitchen. If you start thinking about the scale of the objects rather than their function, you'll find the path to the Yellow or Green categories much faster.
The Secret to the Purple Category
The Purple category is the "Wordplay" category. It’s the one that makes you groan once the answer is revealed. Often, these aren't about what the words mean, but what they are. For the Connections hint September 22, the purple group follows this tradition of being "blank" words.
Think about words that can follow a specific prefix or precede a specific suffix. Or, even more deviously, words that are all anagrams of something else. If you're looking at the grid and seeing words that have nothing in common—like a type of food and a mathematical term—you are likely looking at the Purple group. Stop trying to find a semantic link. Start looking at the letters themselves.
Common Pitfalls in Today's Grid
- The "Too Broad" Trap: Sometimes we think a category is "Things that are blue." Usually, NYT categories are tighter than that. It’s more likely to be "Things that are Blue Jay-colored" or "Names of Blue Characters."
- The "Noun-Verb" Switch: A word like "Duck" can be an animal or an action. If you're stuck on September 22, try changing the part of speech for the words you're looking at.
- The Homophone: Sometimes a word is there because it sounds like another word. This is rare for Yellow or Green but very common for Blue and Purple.
Real-World Strategies for September 22
Let’s talk strategy. If you’re really struggling with the Connections hint September 22, use the "Shuffle" button. It’s not just there for decoration. Our brains get "fixed" on the spatial arrangement of the words. By shuffling, you break the visual associations you’ve accidentally built, allowing new patterns to emerge.
Also, try the "Long View." Step back from the screen. Literally. Sometimes seeing the words from two feet away helps you see the forest instead of the trees. When I play, I try to identify the "Odd Duck" first. If there’s a word like "Oboe" or "Quartz," it’s so specific that it almost dictates what the category must be.
Understanding the Difficulty Curve
The NYT doesn't just pick words at random. They use data. They know which words people struggle with. On September 22, they've leaned heavily into words that have dual meanings in professional settings vs. casual settings.
- Yellow: This is usually the most straightforward. If you see a group of synonyms for "Happy," that's your yellow.
- Green: A bit more specific. Think "Types of Cheese."
- Blue: This usually involves a specific "set." Like "Members of the Brat Pack" or "Parts of a Sewing Machine."
- Purple: The wild card. This is where the puns live.
Actionable Tips for Solving the September 22 Puzzle
Stop guessing. Seriously. Every time you guess and fail, you lose the ability to see the board clearly. If you are down to your last two mistakes and haven't locked in a single category, it's time to change your approach.
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Analyze the prefixes. Look at the first three letters of every word. Is there a pattern?
Say the words out loud. Sometimes hearing the word "Draft" makes you realize it’s not just about wind—it’s about beer or writing.
Look for compound words. Can you add "Box" or "House" to the end of any of these words and have them make sense?
The Connections hint September 22 puzzle rewards patience. If you're rushing, you're losing. The most successful players are the ones who sit with the grid for five minutes before making a single tap.
Final Strategy Check
Before you hit submit on that final group, ask yourself: "Is there any other word on this board that could possibly fit here?" If the answer is yes, you haven't found the category yet. You've found a trap. The NYT loves to put five words that fit one category on the board, forcing you to figure out which one belongs to the other hidden category.
To master the September 22 board, you need to identify that "fifth wheel" early. Usually, that word is the key to unlocking the Blue or Purple group. Once you move that outlier, the rest of the puzzle often collapses into place like a house of cards.
Immediate Next Steps:
- Identify the "Body Parts" or "Nature" words first, as these are often used as decoys for more technical categories.
- Scan for words that function as both nouns and verbs; these are almost always the pivots for the Blue and Purple groups.
- Group the three most obvious words and then look for the fourth one that feels "slightly off"—that's usually the intended NYT answer.
- If you find a category of synonyms, check if one of those words could also be a brand name or a proper noun before submitting.