Knock Today’s NYT Connections (#1,180) Puzzle Out Of The Park With These Hints, Clues, and Answers (September 3, 2026)

Today’s Connections grid has a sneaky misdirect related to band names with numbers in them (Blink-182, Sum 41, Maroon 5, and Matchbox Twenty). If you lost an attempt with that guess, we’ve curated some clues to help you solve the puzzle. For more assistance, we’ve also got one word from each category and the list of themes waiting for you. The answers and their explanations are listed at the end of the page. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,180, September 3, 2026).

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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

• MAX
• MATCHBOX
• MAROON
• AVERAGE
• BLINK
• CARMINE
• SUM
• FLASH
• COUNT
• HEARTBEAT
• CINNABAR
• TONKA
• HOT WHEELS
• VERMILLION
• TRICE
• MICRO MACHINES

Hints for NYT Connections (#1,180) September 3, 2026

Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.

• 🟡Yellow Group: In a ___.
• 🟢Green Group: Shade of a specific colour.
• 🔵Blue Group: Vroom Vroom.
• 🟣Purple Group: Used in Excel.

One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)

Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Blink.
• 🟢Green Group: Carmine.
• 🔵Blue Group: Hot Wheels.
• 🟣Purple Group: Average.

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: Two Shakes Of A Lamb’s Tail.
• 🟢Green Group: Shades Of Red.
• 🔵Blue Group: Toy Car Brands.
• 🟣Purple Group: Spreadsheet Functions.

Answers to NYT Connections (#1,180) Today (September 3, 2026)

Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.

• 🟡Yellow Group: Blink, Flash, Heartbeat, Trice. (Two Shakes Of A Lamb’s Tail)

These words are used to describe doing something quickly.

• 🟢Green Group: Carmine, Cinnabar, Maroon, Vermillion. (Shades Of Red)

Carmine (Deep red). Cinnabar (Bright red). Maroon (Dark brownish-red). Vermillion (Orange-red).

• 🔵Blue Group: Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Micro Machines, Tonka. (Toy Car Brands)

This one is pretty self-explanatory. All of these companies make toy cars for kids.

• 🟣Purple Group: Average, Count, Max, Sum. (Spreadsheet Functions)

You can find these functions in spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,179, September 2, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Dazzle, Floor, Stun, Wow. (Flabbergast)
• 🟢Green Group: Bow, Mute, Rosin, Shoulder Rest. (Things In A Violin Case)
• 🔵Blue Group: Hunting, Rescue, Sausage, Sheep. (___ Dogs (That Are Dogs))
• 🟣Purple Group: Corn, Prairie, Salty, Top. (___ Dogs (That Aren’t Dogs))

Answers to NYT Connections #1,178 (September 1, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Cross My Heart, For Real, On God, Pinky Swear (“I Promise!”)
• 🟢Green Group: Arrow, Golf Club, Pick-up Stick, Spaghetto. (Long, Skinny Things Often Seen Together)
• 🔵Blue Group: Hercule Poirot, Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, Sherlock Holmes. (Private Investigators Of Fiction)
• 🟣Purple Group: Aimee Mann, Hope Diamond, Planetarium, Wishy-Washy. (Staring With Words Of Intention)

Answers to NYT Connections #1,177 (August 31, 2026)

• 🟡Yellow Group: Lipstick, Poster, Tennis Balls, Toothpaste. (Things That Come In Tubes)
• 🟢Green Group: Fragile, Heavy, Perishable, This Side Up. (Warnings On A Shipping Box)
• 🔵Blue Group: Caliph, Khan, Pharaoh, Shogun. (Historical Sovereign Titles)
• 🟣Purple Group: Dust, Poke, Salad, Super. (___ Bowl)

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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!