Connections answers for Thursday, September 24, 2026
Below: the Melio Connections puzzle for Thursday, September 24, 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 24, 2026 below are the Melio answers, not the NYT ones.
The 16 words
SOCCER
ORION
BASKETBALL
CARD
BASEBALL
BRIDGE
TAURUS
KEY
LEO
TENNIS
WARRIOR
SURF
CHILD
GEMINI
COBRA
SKATE
Hint ladder
Spoiler warning
Stage 1: letter spread
Today's 16 words are spread across the alphabet. The most common starting letters are S (3×), B (3×), C (3×), T (2×).
Stage 2: yellow theme
The yellow group's theme is "Balls used in sports". 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: SOCCER, TENNIS, BASKETBALL, BASEBALL.
SOCCERTENNISBASKETBALLBASEBALL
Stage 4: all four themes
The four categories, in order from easiest to hardest, are: Yellow (easiest): "Balls used in sports" · Green: "Yoga poses" · Blue: "Constellations" · Purple (trickiest): "___ Board".
Stage 5: full solution
Below is the full grouping; each row is one category.