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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The NYT Connections September 27 answers are for Friday, September 27, 2024, game #474: BANK, DUNE, HILL, MOUND; GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, WEIGHT; BENCH, DRAFT, START, TRADE; and ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, THING. The last four form movie titles when preceded by “The.”
September 27 can refer to more than one annual puzzle date, so the year matters. The answers above belong to game #474 from 2024; September 27, 2025 was a different edition.
Key takeaways
- NYT Connections game #474 was published on Friday, September 27, 2024—not September 27, 2025.
- The yellow group is BANK, DUNE, HILL, and MOUND: areas of high ground.
- The green group is GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, and WEIGHT: words meaning significance or importance.
- The blue group is BENCH, DRAFT, START, and TRADE: actions in fantasy sports.
- The purple group is ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, and THING, which form science-fiction film titles when preceded by “The.”
The published answer guide for game #474 and a second September 27, 2024 answer report identify the same four groups.
What are the Connections September 27 answers for game #474?
The complete Connections September 27 answers for game #474 are BANK, DUNE, HILL, MOUND; GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, WEIGHT; BENCH, DRAFT, START, TRADE; and ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, THING. The puzzle date is September 27, 2024.
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Spoiler warning: The full group explanations and the 16-word grid appear below.
| Color | Category | Four answers |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Area of high ground | BANK, DUNE, HILL, MOUND |
| Green | Significance | GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, WEIGHT |
| Blue | Actions in fantasy sports | BENCH, DRAFT, START, TRADE |
| Purple | Sci-fi movies with “The” | ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, THING |
What was the full 16-word grid?
The complete grid for Connections #474 was:
IMPORT, THING, GRAVITY, START, BANK, TRADE, MATRIX, DUNE, WEIGHT, ABYSS, DRAFT, MOUND, HILL, BENCH, FLY, SUBSTANCE.
Why do BANK, DUNE, HILL, and MOUND belong together?
BANK, DUNE, HILL, and MOUND can all describe raised or elevated areas of land. The yellow category is the most literal group in this puzzle: a hill and mound are obvious raised landforms, while a bank can mean a raised slope or area beside a body of water, and a dune is a hill of sand.
Why are GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, and WEIGHT a group?
GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, and WEIGHT can each mean significance, seriousness, importance, or influence in the right context. “Import” is used here as a noun meaning importance—not as the verb connected with bringing goods into a country. “Gravity” refers to seriousness or significance, not physical attraction.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThis is the puzzle’s main semantic trap because the four words do not look like direct synonyms in their most familiar senses. A statement can have weight, substance, or gravity, while something of import has importance.
How do BENCH, DRAFT, START, and TRADE relate to fantasy sports?
BENCH, DRAFT, START, and TRADE are actions or roster decisions in fantasy sports. A fantasy manager can draft players, start them in a matchup, bench them, or trade them with another manager. The blue group is therefore easier for readers who recognize fantasy-sports terminology than for readers who read the words as ordinary verbs.
Why do ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, and THING need “The”?
ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, and THING become science-fiction movie titles when the shared prefix “The” is added: The Abyss, The Fly, The Matrix, and The Thing. The purple category depends on recognizing a title-building mechanism rather than finding four words with the same direct meaning.
| Tile | Completed title |
|---|---|
| ABYSS | The Abyss |
| FLY | The Fly |
| MATRIX | The Matrix |
| THING | The Thing |
What made Connections #474 tricky?
Connections #474 combines several kinds of ambiguity rather than relying on a single obscure fact. The yellow group is relatively literal, but the green group requires alternate meanings. The blue group depends on familiarity with fantasy sports, and the purple group requires film recognition plus the shared-prefix idea.
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Several tiles also create plausible red herrings. MATRIX, THING, FLY, ABYSS, GRAVITY, and DUNE can all evoke science-fiction films or science-fiction associations, while GRAVITY and WEIGHT can initially appear to belong together in their physical senses. The official NYT Connections rules explain that players receive 16 words, must find four groups of four, and may encounter words that seem to fit more than one category. The official rules also identify Yellow as the easiest color and Purple as the trickiest, but that color scale is not an independent difficulty rating for this particular puzzle.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does NYT Connections work?
NYT Connections gives players 16 words and asks them to divide the words into four groups of four sharing a common theme. Each group is assigned one of four colors—Yellow, Green, Blue, or Purple—and each puzzle has one intended solution, although individual words may appear to fit multiple groups.
“Connections is a word game that challenges players to find themes between words.”
— The New York Times Help Center, official Connections help page
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“Players are given 16 words and must find groups of four items that share something in common.”
— The New York Times Help Center, official Connections help page
Why does the year matter for September 27?
The answer is specifically for September 27, 2024, because game #474 was the puzzle published on that date. September 27, 2025 was a different Connections edition, listed as game #839 in the date comparison reported by Forbes’ September 27, 2025 guide. Adding the year prevents readers from confusing two separate daily puzzles.
Want more puzzles like this away from your phone?
The official publisher page describes Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay as a hardcover collection from The New York Times Games and Wyna Liu, scheduled for October 27, 2026, with ISBN 9798893312607. The book is a natural offline follow-up for readers who enjoy category-matching puzzles, but availability and preorder status should be checked before purchase; nothing in the available information indicates that the collection contains game #474.
For a broader NYT Games gift or puzzle-book option, Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! is described by its official product site as a physical collection combining Connections twists with other NYT-style formats. It is a broader recommendation, not a book specifically devoted to this puzzle.
The Bottom Line
Connections #474, published September 27, 2024, resolves to four groups: BANK, DUNE, HILL, MOUND; GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, WEIGHT; BENCH, DRAFT, START, TRADE; and ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, THING.
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