Wednesday, September 2, 2026 · #1273
Today's board hides its purple group behind ___ dogs (that aren't dogs) — the yellow set, flabbergast, is the anchor.
Today's board, solved
DAZZLE
FLOOR
STUN
WOW
BOW
MUTE
ROSIN
SHOULDER REST
HUNTING
RESCUE
SAUSAGE
SHEEP
CORN
PRAIRIE
SALTY
TOP
All four groups
Yellow
FLABBERGAST
DAZZLE, FLOOR, STUN, WOW
Green
THINGS IN A VIOLIN CASE
BOW, MUTE, ROSIN, SHOULDER REST
Blue
___ DOGS (THAT ARE DOGS)
HUNTING, RESCUE, SAUSAGE, SHEEP
Purple
___ DOGS (THAT AREN'T DOGS)
CORN, PRAIRIE, SALTY, TOP
How today's puzzle plays
The easiest route is to clear FLABBERGAST first, then look for what's left over rather than hunting the purple group head-on.
Purple today — ___ DOGS (THAT AREN'T DOGS) — is about how the words are built, not what they mean.
When two words feel interchangeable, the board is telling you one of them is a decoy.
Prefer to work it out? Try today's Connections hints, staged so you only see what you ask for.