Yellow group
Straightforward
Gentle hint
An extremely small amount of time.
Show one word
BLINK belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB'S TAIL
Reveal all four words
- BLINK
- FLASH
- HEARTBEAT
- TRICE
A little help. Your own aha.
Connections #1180
hints & answers for September 3, 2026
Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.
#1180
This reference always shows September 3, 2026. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.
Which group has you stuck?
Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.
1/4
Green group
A little trickier
Gentle hint
Think of a paint chart around the warmer end of the spectrum.
Show one word
CARMINE belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
SHADES OF RED
Reveal all four words
- CARMINE
- CINNABAR
- MAROON
- VERMILLION
Blue group
More challenging
Gentle hint
Real vehicles, shrunk down for the playroom.
Show one word
HOT WHEELS belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
TOY CAR BRANDS
Reveal all four words
- HOT WHEELS
- MATCHBOX
- MICRO MACHINES
- TONKA
Purple group
Wordplay & surprises
Gentle hint
A formula in a table of figures might start with one of these.
Show one word
AVERAGE belongs in this group.
Reveal the category
SPREADSHEET FUNCTIONS
Reveal all four words
- AVERAGE
- COUNT
- MAX
- SUM
These are spreadsheet functions for a mean, a tally, a largest value and a total.
Show categories only
- Yellow: TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB'S TAIL
- Green: SHADES OF RED
- Blue: TOY CAR BRANDS
- Purple: SPREADSHEET FUNCTIONS
Ready for the full solution?
All four categories and their words, together.
Reveal all four answers
Yellow
TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB'S TAIL
BLINK · FLASH · HEARTBEAT · TRICE
Green
SHADES OF RED
CARMINE · CINNABAR · MAROON · VERMILLION
Blue
TOY CAR BRANDS
HOT WHEELS · MATCHBOX · MICRO MACHINES · TONKA
Purple
SPREADSHEET FUNCTIONS
AVERAGE · COUNT · MAX · SUM
This puzzle’s recorded solution
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About the answers and hints
Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.
Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.
The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.