Yellow group
Most direct
First nudge
Think about what you reach for before a date or a big meeting.
Stronger nudge
Each is a quick fix for bad breath, from a sweet you chew to a rinse you swish and spit.
Group name
Breath fresheners
Connections hint #1203: September 26, 2026
Step-by-step hints and answers for Connections #1203, from Saturday, September 26, 2026.
A calm, steady solve waits on this Saturday board, with only one or two words that might send you to a dictionary. The snag is easy to overlook on a quick scan, and spotting it early saves a guess. Clear whatever you are surest of and let it make room for the rest. The final set has a playful streak, and it is the most fun of the four to crack.
- MINT
- PRESS
- GRAIN
- BEANS
- STARCH
- CAT
- CUCUMBER
- RINGS
- GUM
- FOLD
- KNOTS
- CUSTOMER
- WASH
- MOUTHWASH
- BURL
- SPRAY
Hints for Connections #1203
Open one step at a time. Step three names the group, so stop earlier if you want more of a challenge. New to the game? Read how to play Connections first, or see what the four colors mean.
Green group
Fairly direct
First nudge
Think about what a dry cleaner does to your office clothes.
Stronger nudge
Each is a step in caring for a button-up collar shirt, from cleaning it to stiffening it, smoothing it flat and creasing it for the shelf.
Group name
Things done to a dress shirt at the laundry
Blue group
Takes some thought
First nudge
Look closely at a cut log or an old kitchen tabletop.
Stronger nudge
Each is a pattern or mark you can see in timber, from dark round spots where branches grew to circles that show its age.
Group name
Features of wood
Purple group
Trickiest
First nudge
Think about words you could put after a laid-back adjective in a casual phrase.
Stronger nudge
Each tile completes a common saying that starts with a word meaning calm or chilly, from a jazz fan to a salad vegetable.
Group name
"Cool" things, in expressions
Show the trap
Read too quickly and this board turns into a farmers market. BEANS, CUCUMBER, MINT and GRAIN all look like things grown for the table, but that harvest is a coincidence and the four never form a set. Each of them has a job here that has nothing to do with farming, so ask what the word means away from the soil before you place it.
More ways to dodge red herrings: our Connections tips.
Word meanings
Some meanings point toward a group, so they stay hidden until you open them.
Show meanings for 5 tricky words
- BURL
- A rounded, lumpy growth on a tree trunk. Its swirling patterns are prized by woodworkers for bowls and decorative veneers.
- STARCH
- A carbohydrate found in potatoes, rice and wheat. In laundry, a liquid or powder that stiffens fabric, like a crisp shirt collar.
- CUSTOMER
- A person who buys goods or services. In an old-fashioned sense it can also describe a particular kind of person, as in a tough customer.
- BEANS
- The seeds of plants such as kidney beans and coffee. To spill the beans means to reveal a secret.
- CAT
- Besides the animal, old jazz slang for a person, especially a musician or a stylish man.
Answers for Connections #1203
This section shows all four groups. Only open it if you're finished or ready to give up.
Show all four groups
-
Breath fresheners
GUM, MINT, MOUTHWASH, SPRAY
Breath fresheners: GUM, MINT, MOUTHWASH and SPRAY.
-
Things done to a dress shirt at the laundry
FOLD, PRESS, STARCH, WASH
Things a laundry does to a dress shirt: FOLD, PRESS, STARCH and WASH.
-
Features of wood
BURL, GRAIN, KNOTS, RINGS
Features of wood: BURL, GRAIN, KNOTS and RINGS. Growth rings show a tree's age, usually one ring for each year.
-
"Cool" things, in expressions
BEANS, CAT, CUCUMBER, CUSTOMER
Words that follow COOL in familiar expressions: cool BEANS, cool CAT, cool as a CUCUMBER and a cool CUSTOMER.
The solve at a glance
The doubled word is the key: MOUTHWASH goes with GUM, MINT and SPRAY, which frees WASH for the laundry beside FOLD, PRESS and STARCH. BURL, GRAIN, KNOTS and RINGS are the marks you see in timber. BEANS, CAT, CUCUMBER and CUSTOMER finish the grid as things described as cool, from cool beans to cool as a cucumber.
Want to get better at spotting groups? Start with our Connections tips.
Answers checked against the official answers by Alan. This puzzle appeared on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
More Connections puzzles
Every puzzle keeps its own page with the same nudges, meanings and answers, so you can go back to any day.
Looking for a different day? Use the links below, or head to today's Connections hint. Every puzzle from September 2026 is listed on the September 2026 archive page.