# Connections #1190 leans on U.S. history

> Hints, category names, and the full answer key for the September 13 Connections puzzle.
- Title: Connections #1190 leans on U.S. history · Mashable | Shortify
- Summary: Hints, category names, and the full answer key for the September 13 Connections puzzle. Today's board hinges on the presidents group: Cleveland, Garfield…
- Keywords: connections, nyt games, word puzzles, hints, wordle, technology, culture, 1190, leans, history, Mashable
- Source: Mashable — https://mashable.com/entertainment/nyt-connections-hint-answer-today-september-13-2026
- Author: Mashable Team
- Published: 2026-09-13T02:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: connections, nyt games, word puzzles, hints, wordle, technology, culture
## Today's board rewards history buffs
Connections #1190 for September 13 is not especially hard if U.S. presidents come to you quickly. One group is built entirely on them.

> The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you know U.S. History.
## How Connections works
Sixteen words, four hidden groups of four. You get four mistakes before the game ends, and only one grouping is correct even when several look plausible.

> finding the "common threads between words"
## Colors tell you the difficulty
Yellow is the easiest group, then green, blue, and purple. Shuffling the board helps you see pairings you kept reading past.
## Gentle nudges first
Yellow: Soft. Green: Leaders of the Executive Branch. Blue: One word, two letters. Purple: Words with a high point.
## The actual category names
Lacking in Firmness. U.S. Presidents. Words That Sound Like Two Letters. Ending in Elevated Landforms.
## The full answer key
Soft: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, SLACK. Presidents: CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, MADISON. Two letters: EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE, ODIE. Landforms: DOUBLESPEAK, HEATHCLIFF, PARAMOUNT, PORRIDGE.
## Key takeaway

Today's board hinges on the presidents group: Cleveland, Garfield, Grant, and Madison.