Connections answers for Thursday, September 17, 2026
Below: the Melio Connections puzzle for Thursday, September 17, 2026, a progressive hint ladder so you can work toward the solution without spoiling it, and the full color-coded grouping if you want the answer outright.
Heads up: Melio’s Connections grids are independently authored. The answers for Thursday, September 17, 2026 below are the Melio answers, not the NYT ones.
The 16 words
ALPHA
PENNE
RUMMY
SOLITAIRE
BRIDGE
POKER
ESPRESSO
RIGATONI
OMEGA
AMERICANO
DELTA
MOCHA
LATTE
FARFALLE
FUSILLI
BETA
Hint ladder
Spoiler warning
Stage 1: letter spread
Today's 16 words are spread across the alphabet. The most common starting letters are A (2×), P (2×), R (2×), F (2×).
Stage 2: yellow theme
The yellow group's theme is "Coffee drinks". That's the easiest grouping; pick the four words that fit and you're a quarter of the way through.
Stage 3: yellow group reveal
The four yellow words are: LATTE, MOCHA, ESPRESSO, AMERICANO.
LATTEMOCHAESPRESSOAMERICANO
Stage 4: all four themes
The four categories, in order from easiest to hardest, are: Yellow (easiest): "Coffee drinks" · Green: "Pasta shapes" · Blue: "Card games" · Purple (trickiest): "Greek letters".
Stage 5: full solution
Below is the full grouping; each row is one category.