NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Monday, September 9 (game #456)

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers , Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #456) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• COACH
• FLUSH
• NONSTOP
• FLIGHT
• SOLID
• PLATTER
• FULL HOUSE
• GLOW
• BURN
• STRAIGHT
• SAMPLER
• BLOSSOM
• COMMUNITY
• TASTING
• CONSECUTIVE
• BLUSH

NYT Connections today (game #456) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Facial color change
• Green: Keep going with no break
• Blue: Menus
• Purple: Funny situations

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #456) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: GET RED IN THE FACE
• GREEN: CONTINUOUS
• BLUE: FLAVOR ASSORTMENT
• PURPLE: SITCOMS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #456) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #456, are…

• YELLOW: GET RED IN THE FACE BLUSH, BURN, FLUSH, GLOW
• GREEN: CONTINUOUS CONSECUTIVE, NONSTOP, SOLID, STRAIGHT
• BLUE: FLAVOR ASSORTMENT FLIGHT, PLATTER, SAMPLER, TASTING
• PURPLE: SITCOMS BLOSSOM, COACH, COMMUNITY, FULL HOUSE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

Luck is always likely to be a factor in Connections, because unless you are incredibly well read you're unlikely to always know every answer in every category. Today, for instance, I could see that PLATTER, SAMPLER and TASTING were all types of menu, but had no idea what the fourth one was. But looking at the remaining possibilities, I went with FLIGHT on a hunch and that proved to be correct to give me the blue FLAVOR ASSORTMENT group. I have no idea what 'FLIGHT' refers to here, but it didn't matter – because I got it right anyway.

My task was made easier, admittedly, by the fact that yellow (GET RED IN THE FACE) and purple (SITCOMS) were both pretty easy today. With hindsight, so was green (CONTINUOUS), but sometimes these things aren't obvious until after the fact.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 8 September, game #455)

• YELLOW: VERBS IN A CAKE RECIPE BAKE, BEAT, FROST, PREHEAT
• GREEN: WHAT A HEART DOES WHEN EXCITED POUND, PUMP, RACE, THROB
• BLUE: ECCLESIASTICAL TITLES BISHOP, PASTOR, POPE, PRIOR
• PURPLE: ___ BOYS BAD, BEACH, HARDY, PET SHOP

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.