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NYT Connections · #1195

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#1195) — September 18, 2026

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Earlier Sep 17 This puzzle Sep 18 Later Sep 19

“Start by locking down the group with the most concrete, unambiguous words — then use what's left to untangle the two words that could each belong to two different categories.FLIGHT and ROUND both carry history — they appeared together in Connections #456 (Sep 9, 2024), where each played a role that mirrors what they do in today's puzzle.”

NYT Connections hints for September 18, 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 BOARDINGThe phase where passengers file onto the plane before departure.
2 BRIEFYou're thinking lawyer or adjective — but BRIEF + CASE gives you the leather bag, not the legal document.
3 CRUISENot a ship — the level, fuel-efficient middle stretch of a flight at altitude.
4 FLIGHTReads like air travel, but here it's a set of small pours — think a beer or whiskey flight.
5 LANDINGThe final descent and touchdown — the part nervous flyers dread.
6 MEDLEYA mix of different items served together, like a vegetable medley.
7 PHASEA distinct period within a larger process — think project phases or moon phases.
8 PILLOWThe soft thing you sleep on — and the fabric cover it wears is a PILLOWCASE.
9 PLATTERA large shared spread of assorted food — the charcuterie board's older cousin.
10 ROUNDLooks like it belongs with drinks or competitions, but here it's simply one turn in a sequence.
11 SAMPLERA selection designed to let you try several things at once.
12 STAGEA step in a journey or plan — nothing to do with a theater here.
13 STAIRA single step, but string them together with CASE and you have the whole staircase.
14 STEPThe most basic unit of a process — follow the steps, one at a time.
15 TAKEOFFThe moment the wheels leave the ground — the flight's dramatic opening act.
16 UPPERUPPERCASE — the capital letters on your keyboard, hiding behind a very ordinary adjective.
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 Breaking a task into smaller chunks gives you these.
See Group SEGMENT OF A PROCESS
See WordPHASE
See WordROUND
See WordSTAGE
See WordSTEP
See Hint You order one of these when you can't pick just one thing.
See Group ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK
See WordFLIGHT
See WordMEDLEY
See WordPLATTER
See WordSAMPLER
See Hint The pilot announces each of these over the intercom.
See Group PARTS OF A FLIGHT
See WordBOARDING
See WordCRUISE
See WordLANDING
See WordTAKEOFF
See Hint Add one word after each to get something you carry or climb.
See Group ___CASE
See WordBRIEF
See WordPILLOW
See WordSTAIR
See WordUPPER
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 FLIGHT Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as an act of flying or a stage of air travel — but here the puzzle is using it as a food and drink term, the kind you order at a brewery.
2 ROUND Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of a round of drinks for the table, which pulls it toward food and drink — but here it belongs with process segments, as in a round of negotiations.
3 CRUISE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably picturing a sea voyage or a holiday cruise ship — but here it's an aviation term for the level portion of a flight between climb and descent.
4 BRIEF Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as an adjective meaning short, or a legal document — but the puzzle is using it as the front half of a compound word, nothing to do with law or length.

NYT Connections answers for September 18, 2026

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

Y SEGMENT OF A PROCESS · Yellow · easiest
  • PHASE
  • ROUND
  • STAGE
  • STEP

PHASE, ROUND, STAGE and STEP are all words for a segment of a process. Despite ROUND and STAGE pulling toward other categories, all four are clean synonyms for a discrete chunk of a sequence — ROUND in particular fools solvers who hear it as a drinks order rather than a turn in a sequence.

G ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK · Green · easy
  • FLIGHT
  • MEDLEY
  • PLATTER
  • SAMPLER

FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER and SAMPLER all describe a curated assortment of food or drink served together. A beer flight, a vegetable medley, a cheese platter and a snack sampler all let you try a little of everything.

B PARTS OF A FLIGHT · Blue · medium
  • BOARDING
  • CRUISE
  • LANDING
  • TAKEOFF

BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING and TAKEOFF are the four key moments in any air journey, from the gate to the ground. CRUISE is the sneakiest — most solvers picture a ship, but in aviation it names the level, steady stretch at altitude between climb and descent.

P ___CASE · Purple · hardest
  • BRIEF
  • PILLOW
  • STAIR
  • UPPER

BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR and UPPER all precede the word CASE to form a compound: BRIEFCASE, PILLOWCASE, STAIRCASE and UPPERCASE. The category hides in plain sight because each word is so strongly associated with its own meaning that the CASE connection stays invisible.

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