NYT Connections Today Explained — September 10, 2026 (#1187)

The connection

Why here

SEXTANT → EXTANT

Ignore the navigation-instrument meaning for a moment. SEXTANT ends in EXTANT, meaning currently or still existing. That is the Purple-group trick. Why SEXTANT hides EXTANT →

REPRESENT → PRESENT

REPRESENT ends in PRESENT. The group is built from entries ending in words associated with what is happening or existing now.

RE + PRESENT → REPRESENT

CATIO is the window clue

A catio is an enclosed outdoor space for a cat, often attached to or reached through a window. That is why it fits with things you might see sticking out of a window.

ACTINIUM really is an element

ACTINIUM belongs with KRYPTON, LEAD and SULFUR because all four are chemical elements. Its unfamiliar name is the trick, not a hidden spelling transformation.

More context

Context

Today’s 4 Groups Explained

Chemical Elements

ACTINIUM · KRYPTON · LEAD · SULFUR

Why they fit: All four are chemical elements.

What makes this group tricky: ACTINIUM is much less familiar than LEAD or SULFUR, while LEAD also has common non-element meanings.

Things Sticking Out of a Window

AIR CONDITIONER · CATIO · CLOTHESLINE · FLOWER BOX

Why they fit: Each can extend from, hang outside, or be attached around a window.

What makes this group tricky: CATIO is the least familiar word, and it does not look window-related until you know it can be an enclosed outdoor cat space attached to a home.

Bruce Springsteen Classics

ATLANTIC CITY · BADLANDS · BORN TO RUN · THUNDER ROAD

Why they fit: All four are well-known Bruce Springsteen songs.

What makes this group tricky: ATLANTIC CITY and BADLANDS can look like places or ordinary phrases instead of song titles.

Ending in Synonyms or Near-Synonyms for “Happening Now”

ADULT CONTEMPORARY · ALTERNATING CURRENT · REPRESENT · SEXTANT

Why they fit: Each full entry ends in a word associated with the present: CONTEMPORARY, CURRENT, PRESENT or EXTANT.

What makes this group tricky: The full entries do not share a normal topic. Their endings do. That is why SEXTANT and REPRESENT feel strange until the words are split apart. See the full SEXTANT → EXTANT explanation →

Why SEXTANT and REPRESENT Were the Hardest Pair

Both words look complete on their own. REPRESENT is an ordinary verb, and SEXTANT is a navigation instrument. The puzzle asks you to ignore those full-word meanings and inspect the endings instead: RE + PRESENT and S + EXTANT. Once those two are visible, CONTEMPORARY and CURRENT reveal the same present-time pattern.

Common Traps

• LEAD: It has several everyday meanings, but here it is simply the chemical element.
• ATLANTIC CITY: The place name makes it look geographic, but here it is one of the Bruce Springsteen titles.
• SEXTANT: Its real navigation meaning is valid but irrelevant to the Purple group. The useful piece is EXTANT at the end.

Quick Answers

Why is SEXTANT in Connections today?

Because SEXTANT ends in EXTANT. EXTANT means currently or still existing, matching the present-time idea shared by the Purple group.

Why is REPRESENT in the same group?

Because REPRESENT ends in PRESENT: RE + PRESENT.

What does EXTANT mean?

EXTANT means currently or still existing.

What are the four Connections #1187 groups?

Chemical Elements; Things Sticking Out of a Window; Bruce Springsteen Classics; and entries ending in synonyms or near-synonyms for “happening now.”

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