Looking for the NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026? If today’s puzzle has you stuck, you’ve come to the right place.
NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026 #1,195 gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Some connections are straightforward, while others rely on multiple meanings, word associations, and clever wordplay.
Today’s puzzle contains several tempting decoys, especially FLIGHT, which can appear to fit more than one possible group.
Spoiler Warning: The hints below become progressively stronger. The complete NYT Connections 18 Hint September 2026 answers are revealed further down the page.
How Does NYT Connections Hint Today Mashable Work?
NYT Connections 18 Hint September 2026 presents a grid of 16 words. Your goal is to find four groups of four words that share a common connection.
Each group has a different difficulty level:
- Yellow: Usually the easiest connection
- Green: A little more challenging
- Blue: More difficult
- Purple: Usually the trickiest and often involves wordplay
You can make mistakes while solving, so it is important not to rush into a group just because four words appear to have something in common.
Today’s puzzle is particularly interesting because several words can initially appear to belong to multiple groups.
NYT Connections Hint September 2026
Here are all 16 words in today’s puzzle:
NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026 BOARDING, BRIEF, CRUISE, FLIGHT, LANDING, MEDLEY, PHASE, PILLOW, PLATTER, ROUND, SAMPLER, STAGE, STAIR, STEP, TAKEOFF, UPPER
Try to solve the four groups yourself before looking at the hints below.
A Helpful Starting Point
One of the easiest ways into today’s puzzle is to look for words that can describe a section or part of a larger process.
PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, and STEP all describe an individual part or segment of something that happens in sequence.
Another useful group involves food and drink served as an assortment. Words such as PLATTER and SAMPLER point in this direction, but there is a clever trap: FLIGHT can also describe a selection of drinks or foods.
The aviation group becomes clearer when you think about the stages of an airplane journey. BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, and TAKEOFF all describe parts of a flight.
Finally, look closely at the words that seem incomplete. BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, and UPPER can all be followed by the same word to form familiar compounds.
That last group is the puzzle’s main wordplay challenge.
NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026
If you don’t want the answers yet, use these clues to work through the puzzle.
Yellow Connections Hint
Think about different portions or stages of a larger process.
Green Connections Hint
Think about food and drink presented as a selection or assortment.
Blue Connections Hint
Think about different parts or stages of an airplane journey.
Purple Connections Hint
These four words can all be followed by the same word to create a familiar compound word.
Stronger Connections Hints
Still stuck? Here are more direct clues.
Yellow
These words can all mean a segment, stage, or part of a sequence.
Green
NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026 these words can describe a collection of different foods, drinks, tastes, or selections presented together.
Blue
Think about what happens during an airplane trip, from getting onto the plane to arriving at the destination.
Purple
Add CASE after each of the four words.
If you are still trying to solve the puzzle yourself, this should give you enough information to finish it.
Today’s Connections Categories
Ready to check the groups?
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
These groupings are independently listed for Connections puzzle #1,195 on September 18, 2026.
Full Connections Answers for September 18, 2026
Yellow — SEGMENT OF A PROCESS
PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP
These four words can describe an individual portion of a larger process or sequence.
For example, NYT Connections 18 Hint September 2026 a project can move through different phases, a competition can have several rounds, and a process can be divided into stages or steps.
The trick is that these words have many other meanings, so it is easy to overlook their shared connection.
Green — ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK
FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER
These words can refer to selections or assortments of food and drinks.
A flight can mean a collection of different drinks served together for comparison or tasting. A platter can contain several foods, while a sampler generally provides several small portions.
NYT Connections 18 Hint September 2026 Medley also fits the idea of a mixture or assortment of different things.
This group is designed to make FLIGHT particularly deceptive because the word also strongly suggests aviation.
Blue — PARTS OF A FLIGHT
BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF
These four words describe different stages or parts of an airplane journey.
- Boarding happens when passengers get onto the aircraft.
- Takeoff is when the aircraft leaves the ground.
- Cruise refers to the main portion of the flight while traveling at cruising altitude.
- Landing occurs when the aircraft returns to the ground.
The biggest challenge here is FLIGHT itself. It looks like an obvious member of this group, but it belongs in the food-and-drink assortment group instead.
Purple — ___CASE
BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER
Each word can be followed by CASE to create a familiar compound:
- Briefcase
- Pillowcase
- Staircase
- Uppercase
This is the wordplay group and is probably the easiest one to miss if you’re concentrating only on the meanings of the individual words.
NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026 Is Tricky
Today’s puzzle has several deliberate traps.
The biggest is FLIGHT. Most people naturally associate the word with airplanes, making it an obvious candidate for the flight-related group. However, it belongs with MEDLEY, PLATTER, and SAMPLER, where it refers to an assortment or selection.
ROUND is another tricky word because it can describe a stage of a competition or sequence, but it can also refer to a round of drinks.
STAIR and UPPER may initially look unrelated to the other words. Their connection only becomes obvious once you recognize that they need CASE.
This combination of multiple meanings and compound-word construction makes today’s board more challenging than a simple category-matching puzzle.
How to Solve Today’s Connections More Easily
1. Look for Exact Connections
Don’t settle for a loose relationship between four words. NYT Connections 18 Hint September 2026 usually requires a specific relationship.
If five or six words appear to fit one category, look for another interpretation.
2. Watch Out for Multiple Meanings
Today’s puzzle is a good example of why you should consider different meanings of a word.
FLIGHT doesn’t necessarily mean an airplane journey. It can also refer to a tasting selection.
3. Look for Common Phrases
If a group doesn’t make sense based on definitions, try adding another word.
Today’s purple group is based entirely on this strategy:
BRIEF + CASE
PILLOW + CASE
STAIR + CASE
UPPER + CASE
4. Save the Strange Words
Sometimes the words that don’t seem to belong anywhere are the key to the hardest category.
Instead of forcing them into a group, leave them aside and return to them after finding an easier NYT Connections 18 Hint September 2026.
5. Use Elimination
Once one group is confidently identified, remove those four words from consideration.
The remaining words often make the other categories much easier to see.
Connections September 17, 2026 — Yesterday’s Answers
If you’re looking back at the previous puzzle, NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026 had these groups:
- ELASTICITY — BOUNCE, FLEXIBILITY, GIVE, SPRING
- THINGS THAT ARE UNDERGROUND — MINE SHAFT, SEWER LINE, SUBWAY STATION, WELL
- HUGH JACKMAN MOVIES, WITH “THE” — FOUNTAIN, PRESTIGE, SHEEP DETECTIVES, WOLVERINE
- LOVE ___ — HANDLES, LANGUAGE, TAP, TRIANGLE
Checking previous answers can be useful if you are tracking your solving history.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Connections answers for September 18, 2026?
The four groups are SEGMENT OF A PROCESS, ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK, PARTS OF A FLIGHT, and ___CASE.
What is the yellow group in Connections today?
The yellow group is SEGMENT OF A PROCESS: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP.
What is the green group in Connections today?
The green group is ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER.
What is the blue group in Connections today?
The blue group is PARTS OF A FLIGHT: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF.
What is the purple group in Connections today?
The purple group is ___CASE: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER.
What is the Connections puzzle number for September 18, 2026?
NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026 #1,195.
Final Thoughts
The NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026 revolves around four very different types of connections: process segments, food and drink assortments, airplane-flight stages, and words that become compounds when followed by CASE.
The biggest trap is FLIGHT, which looks like it belongs with the aviation words but actually belongs with the food-and-drink group.
If you found today’s puzzle difficult, the best lesson is to avoid committing to a category too quickly. When a word seems to fit multiple groups, keep it in play until the remaining words reveal the stronger connection.
Come back tomorrow for the next NYT Connections Hint 18 September 2026, categories, answers, and solution.
Also Read: Today Wordle Hint 18 September 2026 Answer and Hints Solution #1,917
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