Almost done with your day, but not today’s Connections puzzle? It’s time to lock in and get the win. To help you along the way, we’ve curated some general, spoiler-free hints. If you need some more help, we’ll give you one word from each category, followed by the list of themes. Finally, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers you need to solve today’s NYT Connections (#1,195, September 18, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
Connections is one of the most popular word games from The New York Times, only trailing behind Wordle. The rules of the game are simple. You are presented with a 16-word grid where you’re supposed to find the entries that share something in common. There are a total of 4 groups, each consisting of 4 words, that you must find. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. Sometimes, there are a couple of red herrings to throw you off and make the puzzle more interesting. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Here’s your grid for today
- PILLOW
- CRUISE
- UPPER
- STEP
- FLIGHT
- STAIR
- PLATTER
- LANDING
- ROUND
- STAGE
- TAKEOFF
- MEDLEY
- BRIEF
- BOARDING
- SAMPLER
- PHASE
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,195) September 18, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: A part in the development of something.
- 🟢Green Group: A mix of tasters.
- 🔵Blue Group: Different phases involved in flying from one place to another.
- 🟣Purple Group: Followed by a common word that means ‘instance’ or ‘specimen’.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Phase.
- 🟢Green Group: Flight.
- 🔵Blue Group: Boarding.
- 🟣Purple Group: Brief.
List of Themes (Major Spoilers)
Maybe getting to know the common themes among the words will help you spot them faster. Here are all the categories for today.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Segment Of A Process.
- 🟢Green Group: Assortments Of Food/Drink.
- 🔵Blue Group: Parts Of A Flight.
- 🟣Purple Group: ___ Case.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,195) Today (September 18, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Phase, Round, Stage, Step. (Segment Of A Process)
These words are used to describe the distinct parts of a transformative process.
- 🟢Green Group: Flight, Medley, Platter, Sampler. (Assortments Of Food/Drink)
Depending on the food or drinks on display, a collection of tasters can be referred to by one of these words.
- 🔵Blue Group: Boarding, Cruise, Landing, Takeoff. (Parts Of A Flight)
Boarding→Takeoff→Cruise→Landing.
- 🟣Purple Group: Brief, Pillow, Stair, Upper. (___ Case)
Briefcase – A travel box-shaped bag for carrying important documents. Pillowcase – A protective cover for a pillow. Staircase – A flight of stairs. Uppercase – Capital letters.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,194, September 17, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bounce, Flexibility, Give, Spring. (Elasticity)
- 🟢Green Group: Mine Shaft, Sewer Line, Subway Station, Well. (Things That Are Underground)
- 🔵Blue Group: Fountain, Prestige, Sheep Detectives, Wolverine. (Hugh Jackman Movies, With “The”)
- 🟣Purple Group: Handles, Language Tap, Triangle. (Love ___)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,193 (September 16, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Latin, Long John Silver, Marigold, Steam Iron. (Ending In Metal Elements)
- 🟢Green Group: Dimension, Nickelodeon, Pennywise, Quarterback. (Starting With U.S. Coins)
- 🔵Blue Group: Barrett, Carlos, St. Vincent, Wadsworth. (Poets’ Middle Names)
- 🟣Purple Group: Borat, Clink, Frank-N-Furter, Widener. (Sausages Plus A Letter)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,192 (September 15, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Coach, Direct, Guide, Train. (Instruct)
- 🟢Green Group: Handle, Lid, Spout, Whistle. (Parts Of A Whistling Kettle)
- 🔵Blue Group: Asset, Mole, Plant, Sleeper. (Undercover Operative)
- 🟣Purple Group: Caboose, December, Dessert, Epilogue. (Things That Appear At The End)
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How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 2 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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