A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1195
hints & answers for September 18, 2026

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows September 18, 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.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with P, R, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

PHASE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SEGMENT OF A PROCESS

Reveal all four words
  • PHASE
  • ROUND
  • STAGE
  • STEP

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with F, M, P and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

FLIGHT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK

Reveal all four words
  • FLIGHT
  • MEDLEY
  • PLATTER
  • SAMPLER

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, C, L and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOARDING belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PARTS OF A FLIGHT

Reveal all four words
  • BOARDING
  • CRUISE
  • LANDING
  • TAKEOFF

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BRIEF belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___CASE

Reveal all four words
  • BRIEF
  • PILLOW
  • STAIR
  • UPPER

Each entry comes before "CASE" to form a word, expression or name: BRIEF → BRIEF CASE; PILLOW → PILLOW CASE; STAIR → STAIR CASE; UPPER → UPPER CASE.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: SEGMENT OF A PROCESS
  • Green: ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK
  • Blue: PARTS OF A FLIGHT
  • Purple: ___CASE

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SEGMENT OF A PROCESS

PHASE · ROUND · STAGE · STEP

Green

ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK

FLIGHT · MEDLEY · PLATTER · SAMPLER

Blue

PARTS OF A FLIGHT

BOARDING · CRUISE · LANDING · TAKEOFF

Purple

___CASE

BRIEF · PILLOW · STAIR · UPPER

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

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.