You're reading an archived Connections puzzle from Sep 1, 2026 — the daily hints refresh every midnight.

Today's puzzle hints & answers →
Connections sportSports Connections Wordle Spelling Bee Browse all →
NYT Connections · #1178

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1178) — September 1, 2026

By ·

Earlier Aug 31 This puzzle Sep 1 Later Sep 2

“Before you commit to any group, read each entry carefully from the very beginning — the hardest category here rewards solvers who treat familiar phrases as raw material rather than finished meanings.Today's puzzle has ARROW and GOLF CLUB, both carrying history. ARROW has appeared many times before — as archery equipment in Connections #242 (Feb 8, 2024), and as a symbol used in making lists in Connections #365 (Jun 10, 2024). GOLF CLUB appeared in Connections #621 (Feb 21, 2025) as one of several objects that can be made for either hand.”

NYT Connections hints for September 1, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

1

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 AIMEE MANNThe singer-songwriter's first name opens with AIM — a word for directing intention toward a target.
2 ARROWThin, pointed, and always part of a quiver — never just one.
3 CROSS MY HEARTA classic childhood oath, sometimes followed by 'hope to die.'
4 FOR REALThe most casual of the four — emphasis through simplicity.
5 GOLF CLUBLong-shafted and carried in a bag of fourteen — never solo.
6 HERCULE POIROTAgatha Christie's meticulous Belgian detective, famous for his 'little grey cells.'
7 HOPE DIAMONDThe famous blue gem's first word is HOPE — a desire or expectation.
8 MIKE HAMMERMickey Spillane's hard-boiled New York PI, first appearing in 1947.
9 ON GODA contemporary slang oath invoking the highest possible authority.
10 PICK-UP STICKOne rod from the classic game where the whole point is the pile.
11 PINKY SWEARThe one that requires a physical gesture — interlocked little fingers.
12 PLANETARIUMThe astronomy dome starts with PLAN — a word for an intended course of action.
13 SAM SPADEDashiell Hammett's San Francisco detective, the hero of The Maltese Falcon.
14 SHERLOCK HOLMESArthur Conan Doyle's Baker Street detective — the most adapted fictional character ever.
15 SPAGHETTOThe Italian singular of spaghetti — one lone, thin noodle.
16 WISHY-WASHYThe indecisive adjective opens with WISH — a longing or desire — hidden in plain sight.
2

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint What you say when you really, truly mean it.
See Group "I PROMISE!"
See WordCROSS MY HEART
See WordFOR REAL
See WordON GOD
See WordPINKY SWEAR
See Hint Each one is useless unless you have a whole bunch of them.
See Group LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHER
See WordARROW
See WordGOLF CLUB
See WordPICK-UP STICK
See WordSPAGHETTO
See Hint They take cases no cop wants to touch.
See Group PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTION
See WordHERCULE POIROT
See WordMIKE HAMMER
See WordSAM SPADE
See WordSHERLOCK HOLMES
See Hint Four entries that moonlight as something much shorter at their start.
See Group STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTION
See WordAIMEE MANN
See WordHOPE DIAMOND
See WordPLANETARIUM
See WordWISHY-WASHY
3

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 SPAGHETTO Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably drawing a blank — most English speakers have never seen this word. It's the Italian singular of spaghetti, one lone noodle, and the puzzle is using it in exactly that literal, physical sense.
2 PLANETARIUM Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a domed astronomy building and filing it under science or culture — but that reading goes nowhere here. Try ignoring what the whole word means and look only at how it starts.
3 WISHY-WASHY Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a single adjective meaning indecisive — but the puzzle isn't grouping personality traits. There's something useful buried at the front of this word that most solvers never stop to notice.
4 HOPE DIAMOND Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of famous jewels or cursed gems — but nothing on this grid is about precious stones. Try treating the two words separately and focus on what the first one means on its own.

NYT Connections answers for September 1, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y "I PROMISE!" · Yellow · easiest
  • CROSS MY HEART
  • FOR REAL
  • ON GOD
  • PINKY SWEAR

CROSS MY HEART, FOR REAL, ON GOD and PINKY SWEAR are all phrases people use to swear sincerely that something is true. ON GOD is the most generational of the four — it's a modern slang oath that sits alongside much older traditions like the pinky swear.

G LONG, SKINNY THINGS OFTEN SEEN TOGETHER · Green · easy
  • ARROW
  • GOLF CLUB
  • PICK-UP STICK
  • SPAGHETTO

ARROW, GOLF CLUB, PICK-UP STICK and SPAGHETTO are all long, skinny things that typically come in sets or groups. SPAGHETTO is the wildcard — it's the rarely used Italian singular of spaghetti, meaning one single strand of pasta.

B PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS OF FICTION · Blue · medium
  • HERCULE POIROT
  • MIKE HAMMER
  • SAM SPADE
  • SHERLOCK HOLMES

HERCULE POIROT, MIKE HAMMER, SAM SPADE and SHERLOCK HOLMES are all iconic fictional private investigators. SAM SPADE is the one most tied to a single novel — Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon — while Holmes has spawned more adaptations than any other detective in history.

P STARTING WITH WORDS OF INTENTION · Purple · hardest
  • AIMEE MANN
  • HOPE DIAMOND
  • PLANETARIUM
  • WISHY-WASHY

AIMEE MANN, HOPE DIAMOND, PLANETARIUM and WISHY-WASHY each begin with a synonym for intention or desire: AIM, HOPE, PLAN and WISH respectively. WISHY-WASHY is the sneakiest — solvers read it as a single adjective and never think to split off the WISH at the front.

Try another puzzle

Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.

Wordle

Today's hint ladder & answer

Open

Spelling Bee

Answers, pangram & word list

Open