NYT Connections · September 16, 2026
Why Is BORAT in NYT Connections?
BORAT is not a movie reference in this Connections group. Remove the O from BORAT and you get BRAT. In American English, a brat is a bratwurst, a type of sausage. BORAT → remove O → BRAT → bratwurst → sausage
BORAT is not a movie reference in this Connections group.
Remove the O from BORAT and you get BRAT. In American English, a brat is a bratwurst, a type of sausage.
BORAT → remove O → BRAT → bratwurst → sausage
| Puzzle word | Transformation |
|---|---|
| BORAT | remove O → BRAT → bratwurst sausage |
| WIDENER | remove D → WIENER → sausage |
| CLINK | remove C → LINK → sausage link |
| FRANK-N-FURTER | remove N → FRANKFURTER → sausage |
Why now
BORAT appeared in the Purple ‘SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER’ group in Connections puzzle #1193.
The connection
Why here
Why BORAT works
The Purple category is “SAUSAGES PLUS A LETTER.”
BORAT contains BRAT with one extra O.
BRAT is an informal American word for bratwurst. That makes BORAT a sausage term plus one added letter.
Why the movie association is the trap
BORAT is so strongly associated with the movie character that it naturally pulls attention toward entertainment.
Connections ignores that familiar meaning completely.
The puzzle only cares about the letters inside the word: remove O, and BRAT appears.
More context
Context
The full Purple group
BORAT → remove O → BRAT → bratwurst sausage
WIDENER → remove D → WIENER → sausage
CLINK → remove C → LINK → sausage link
FRANK-N-FURTER → remove N → FRANKFURTER → sausage
The same one-extra-letter rule explains all four clues.
Keep exploring
Related
Evidence
Sources
- Connections puzzle #1193 for September 16, 2026 — The New York Times
The puzzle’s Purple group and the WIDENER, BORAT, CLINK and FRANK-N-FURTER clues.
- brat — Cambridge Dictionary
Brat is an informal American word for a bratwurst sausage.
- bratwurst — Cambridge Dictionary
Bratwurst is a type of German sausage.