Waking up to a grid of sixteen words that seem to have absolutely nothing in common is a specific kind of morning torture. We’ve all been there. You stare at the screen, sipping coffee, wondering why the New York Times editors decided to be so cruel today. If you are looking for Connections hints September 28, you probably found yourself staring at a mix of terms that feel like they belong in a biology textbook, a hardware store, and maybe a high-end kitchen.
It’s tough.
The September 28 puzzle (Connections #475) is a classic example of how the game uses "overlap" to mess with your head. You see a word and immediately think it belongs to one group, but Wyna Liu—the puzzle's editor—has tucked it away in a much more obscure category. It’s a game of lateral thinking. Sometimes you have to ignore the obvious definition and look for the pun or the homophone.
Let's break down exactly what is happening in today's grid without spoiling the whole thing right away.
Why the Connections hints September 28 puzzle feels so tricky
Today's difficulty stems from the fact that several words could easily swap places. This is what enthusiasts call a "red herring." For instance, you might see words that relate to "Size" or "Measurement," but they aren't actually part of the same set. The game wants you to waste your four mistakes early.
Don't let it.
Basically, the trick to solving any Connections puzzle, especially one like this, is to find the most "unique" words first. If a word only has one possible meaning, it’s your anchor. If a word like "Scale" appears, it could mean a dozen things—a musical sequence, a kitchen tool, or part of a fish. You have to wait until you see the supporting cast before you commit.
The Yellow Category: Simple but deceptive
The yellow group is usually the "straightforward" one. For the September 28 board, the theme centers on things that are thin or narrow.
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Think about it.
When you are describing something that isn't wide, what words do you use? You might say it's a "Sliver" or a "Strip." In this specific puzzle, the editors chose words that describe a long, thin piece of something. It’s the kind of category where once you see two of them, the other two jump out.
The words you are looking for are:
SLIVER, STRIP, TREAD, and BAND.
Wait, "Tread"? That one feels a bit weird, right? Most people think of a tire or a staircase when they hear tread. But in the context of a narrow piece of material or a specific strip of rubber, it fits perfectly. This is how the NYT keeps you on your toes. They take a word you know in one context and slide it into another.
Moving into the Blue and Green: The Middle Ground
The Green category for Connections hints September 28 is actually quite clever. It’s all about parts of a shoe.
Now, if you aren't a "sneakerhead" or someone who works in a cobbler shop, this might take a second. We already mentioned "Tread" could fit here, but in this specific puzzle, "Tread" was used in the narrow strip category. This is the "overlap" I was talking about.
For the Green group, you’re looking at:
EYELET, SOLE, TONGUE, and LACES.
Most people get "Laces" and "Sole" immediately. "Tongue" is usually the third one people spot. "Eyelet" is the one that trips people up—it’s those tiny holes the laces go through. Honestly, it’s a very cohesive group once you see it, but it’s easy to get distracted by other "body parts" if they were on the board.
The Infamous Purple Category
Purple is always the "words that follow..." or "words that share a prefix" category. It’s the one that makes you groan when the answer is revealed. For September 28, the theme is ____ Scale.
Think about how many types of scales there are.
- Kitchen Scale
- Musical Scale
- Fish Scale
- Richter Scale
The puzzle uses KITCHEN, MUSICAL, FISH, and RICHTER.
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If you were trying to group "Fish" with other animals, or "Musical" with "Tongue" (thinking about mouth/music), you would have been stuck for an hour. This is why the "Scale" connection is so brilliant. It’s a "hidden link" puzzle. You have to fill in the blank in your head to make the connection work.
Breaking down the Blue Category
The Blue category is often surprisingly specific. Today, it’s items found in a gym.
You've got:
BARBELL, BENCH, DUMBBELL, and KETTLEBELL.
Actually, that’s almost too easy, isn't it? Well, the trick is that "Bench" could easily refer to a "Park Bench" or "Judge's Bench." And "Dumbbell" is also a common insult. If you weren't thinking about fitness, these words might stay separated in your mind.
Strategy for tomorrow and beyond
If you struggled with the Connections hints September 28 puzzle, don't feel bad. The game is designed to exploit your brain's natural tendency to categorize things quickly. To get better, you have to slow down.
First, look for the "Purple" words early. If you see two words that seem totally unrelated, like "Richter" and "Kitchen," ask yourself if they share a common suffix or prefix. Often, that’s the key to unlocking the whole board.
Second, don't click anything until you have found at least two complete groups in your head. If you find four words for "Shoe Parts" and four words for "Gym Equipment," you've already won half the battle.
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Lastly, pay attention to the parts of speech. Sometimes the game will mix verbs and nouns. If you see three verbs and one noun that "sort of" fits, it’s probably a trap. Wyna Liu loves using words that can be both a noun and a verb—like "Strip" or "Band"—to keep you guessing.
The best way to handle these puzzles is to treat them like a logic grid. If "Tread" could be a shoe part OR a thin strip, look at the other words. Are there three other shoe parts? Are there three other thin strips? Whichever category has more "definite" matches is where that word belongs.
Go take a look at the grid again. Now that you see the connections between "Scale" types and "Shoe" components, the whole thing feels much more obvious, doesn't it? That’s the beauty of Connections. It’s impossible until it’s easy.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Puzzle:
- Identify Red Herrings: Look for words that fit into two different categories and set them aside until the end.
- Say the Words Aloud: Sometimes hearing the word helps you catch a homophone or a common phrase you might miss while reading silently.
- Use the Shuffle Button: Seriously, use it. Your brain gets "locked" into seeing words in a certain order. Shuffling breaks those visual patterns.
- Work Backwards from Purple: If you can guess the "hidden word" category (the ____ blank category), the rest of the board usually collapses into place.