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NYT Connections · #1188

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1188) — September 11, 2026

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“When a word feels like it belongs in two places at once, test it as a verb before locking it in — several words here pull double duty and the puzzle exploits that.BAND has appeared in Connections before, most recently in Connections #234 (Jan 31, 2024), where it was grouped with other words that can follow a specific colour.”

NYT Connections hints for September 11, 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 ABSORBTo soak up information the way a sponge takes in water — a mental act here, not a physical one.
2 AGENDALooks like an event planner's tool; here it completes 'push an ___,' meaning to promote a particular goal or viewpoint.
3 BANDThe live music act booked to keep guests on the dance floor.
4 DIGESTLooks like a biological process; here it means to slowly work through and make sense of something.
5 ENVELOPE'Push the ___' means to go beyond accepted boundaries — the phrase comes from aviation test pilots.
6 EXERCISEPhysical movement as a mental health tool, not a homework problem.
7 FLORISTResponsible for the bouquets, centerpieces, and every petal on the day.
8 JOURNALWriting your thoughts down as a daily practice — used here as a verb, not a noun.
9 LIMITSFeels like a self-care word about knowing your boundaries; here it's about exceeding them — 'push your ___'.
10 LUCK'Push your ___' means to keep taking risks past the point where fortune is likely to hold.
11 MEDITATESitting with your breath and your thoughts — the quietest item on this list.
12 PHOTOGRAPHERThe one making sure the memories outlast the cake.
13 PLANNERCoordinates everyone else on this list — the organizer of organizers.
14 PROCESSTo mentally work through something — not a procedure or a computer task in this context.
15 TAKE INTo receive and fully register something — the most conversational phrasing of the four.
16 UNPLUGStepping away from screens and devices — self-care advice that didn't exist before the smartphone era.
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 You book these people before the big day arrives.
See Group PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT
See WordBAND
See WordFLORIST
See WordPHOTOGRAPHER
See WordPLANNER
See Hint What your brain does when it finally makes sense of something.
See Group INTERNALIZE
See WordABSORB
See WordDIGEST
See WordPROCESS
See WordTAKE IN
See Hint A wellness routine your doctor and your therapist both approve.
See Group WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE
See WordEXERCISE
See WordJOURNAL
See WordMEDITATE
See WordUNPLUG
See Hint One verb turns all four into familiar phrases.
See Group THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY
See WordAGENDA
See WordENVELOPE
See WordLIMITS
See WordLUCK
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 AGENDA Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a meeting schedule or an event planner's list — but here the puzzle is using it as something you metaphorically push, not something you write down.
2 LIMITS Tap to see why this word traps.
You're likely thinking of it in a self-care sense, like knowing your boundaries — but the puzzle is using it in a different kind of phrase entirely.
3 DIGEST Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a biological process — but the puzzle is using it as a verb meaning something closer to sitting with an idea until it settles, not anything to do with food or the stomach.
4 JOURNAL Tap to see why this word traps.
Looks like a noun — a publication, or the book you write in — but here the puzzle treats it as an action, a thing you do as part of a routine.

NYT Connections answers for September 11, 2026

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

Y PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT · Yellow · easiest
  • BAND
  • FLORIST
  • PHOTOGRAPHER
  • PLANNER

BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER and PLANNER are all professionals hired to work an event, typically a wedding. PLANNER is the most self-referential — the person who hires all the others.

G INTERNALIZE · Green · easy
  • ABSORB
  • DIGEST
  • PROCESS
  • TAKE IN

ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS and TAKE IN all mean to mentally internalize information or an experience. DIGEST is the sneakiest — most solvers picture the stomach before the mind.

B WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE · Blue · medium
  • EXERCISE
  • JOURNAL
  • MEDITATE
  • UNPLUG

EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE and UNPLUG are all recognised self-care activities. UNPLUG is the most modern of the four — it only became self-care advice once smartphones existed.

P THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY · Purple · hardest
  • AGENDA
  • ENVELOPE
  • LIMITS
  • LUCK

AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS and LUCK all follow the verb 'push' in common expressions: push an agenda, push the envelope, push your limits, push your luck. ENVELOPE is the anchor — 'push the envelope' is the phrase that makes the pattern click.

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