NYT Connections Hint & AnswersPuzzle #1195 · September 18, 2026
Stuck on today's NYT Connections puzzle? Get a single-word clue, a category hint, or the full answer for Puzzle #1195 — you choose exactly how much help you need.
Written by Hint Team · Updated September 18, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Puzzle #1195 (September 18, 2026) is rated Hard difficulty.
- 16 words sort into 4 hidden categories — Yellow (easiest) to Purple (hardest).
- Every word and every category has its own spoiler-free hint below.
- Full answers are revealed only when you tap to see them — nothing spoils automatically.
Today's Tip
Today's NYT Connections puzzle mixes process-related words, food and drink selections, air travel terms, and a clever word-completion pattern.
Hint For Each Word
Tap any tile to see what it means in today's puzzle — no spoilers.
Hints For All Four Categories
Ordered from easiest to hardest — reveal only as much as you need.
Traps & Misdirects
Words placed on purpose to mislead you — spot these before you burn a guess.
FLIGHT, BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING
FLIGHT looks like an obvious match with the other three because all four are strongly connected with air travel. But FLIGHT belongs to the Green group because a food or drink flight is an assortment of smaller samples. The actual Blue group uses BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, and TAKEOFF.
ROUND, PLATTER, MEDLEY, SAMPLER
ROUND can make you think about a round of drinks or food. That makes it tempting to place it with the Green group. In the actual puzzle, ROUND belongs with PHASE, STAGE, and STEP as a segment of a process.
STEP, STAIR
These two words are naturally associated with walking and climbing. That makes them look like a pair. But STEP belongs to the Yellow process group while STAIR becomes staircase in the Purple group.
PILLOW, FLIGHT
Both can connect to travel. A pillow can be something you use while traveling and a flight is obviously related to air travel. However, PILLOW belongs to the Purple ___CASE group while FLIGHT belongs to Green.
PLATTER, SAMPLER
These two are strong food-related words and correctly point toward the Green group. The challenge is finding the other two without being distracted by ROUND or FLIGHT.
UPPER, STEP, STAGE
UPPER can look like an ordinary descriptive word while STEP and STAGE clearly suggest a process. The hidden clue is that UPPER becomes uppercase, making it part of the Purple group.
BRIEF, PHASE, STEP
BRIEF can look like another general process word because it describes something short. But it is not part of the Yellow group. Add CASE and it becomes briefcase.
FLIGHT, ROUND
Today's puzzle deliberately uses words with multiple meanings. FLIGHT can refer to air travel or a selection of food and drinks. ROUND can describe a segment of a process or a round of drinks. These overlapping meanings are what make the puzzle harder.
Today's Full Answers
All four groups, revealed only when you're ready.
Answers are hidden by default so you can solve at your own pace. Tap below when you're ready to see everything.
Stuck on today's NYT Connections puzzle? Our Connections hints help you crack all 16 words into their four correct groups — without spoiling the fun. Start with gentle, spoiler-free clues, and only unlock more as you need them. We'll walk you step by step, from subtle hints to full category reveals and today's complete answers.
How to Use Our NYT Connections Hints
Every player gets stuck at a different point in the puzzle — knowing exactly where you're stuck is the fastest way to find the right hint. Match your situation below, use that hint, and get back to solving.
You Don't Recognize a Word's Meaning
Puzzle editor Wyna Liu often picks words with a specific or unusual meaning, especially in the green, blue, and purple groups. If you don't know what a word means in context, you can't confidently place it.
Use the Word Hint. It explains what that word means for today's puzzle. Just tap any word on the board to open its hint card.
None of the 16 Words Are Clicking Into Groups
Connections categories are built around a theme, not just word meaning — so the link between words isn't always obvious at first glance.
Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a group without naming the category or listing its words. Start with the Yellow Category Hint — yellow is always the easiest.
You Think You Have a Group, But You're Not Sure
A wrong guess costs you one of your four allowed mistakes, so it pays to confirm before you commit.
Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of a group without showing which words belong to it. If your guess matches, go for it; if not, you've dodged a mistake. Tap the color you're testing to see it.
A Word Seems to Fit More Than One Group
Wyna Liu deliberately plants misleading words that look like they belong in more than one category — these trip up more players than anything else in the puzzle.
Use the Traps and Misdirects Hint. It flags the tricky words in today's puzzle and explains why they don't belong where you'd expect.
You Know the Category, Just Not All the Words
You've spotted the theme but can't pin down every word that fits it.
Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one word at a time, so you only see as much as you need — open your identified category and reveal words one by one until the group is complete.
New to Connections, or want to get better?
The full rules, what each difficulty color means, and strategies for spotting traps live in one place — our complete how-to-play guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Today's Connections hints give you a small clue about each group without revealing the full answers right away. You can use them when you're stuck but still want to solve the puzzle yourself.
Still have a question, or spotted a mistake in today's puzzle? Get in touch.
