What is the NYT Connections answer for September 4 (#1181)?

The four groups are SPHERICAL THINGS (BOWLING BALL, EYE, MOON, ORANGE); FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS (CAKE DONUT, CANDY CORN, CHERRY TOMATO, PIZZA PIE); KINDS OF EELS (CONGER, GULPER, MORAY, RIBBON); ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS (CRINGY, OPINE, STIED, THAT'S).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Friday, September 4, 2026#1181

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, September 4

DailyWordHints Editorial September 4

SPHERICAL THINGS

Easiest

FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS

Easy

KINDS OF EELS

Tricky

ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are SPHERICAL THINGS (yellow), FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS (green), KINDS OF EELS (blue), ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS (purple).

MOON

EYE

PIZZA PIE

THAT'S

MORAY

CANDY CORN

ORANGE

OPINE

BOWLING BALL

RIBBON

CAKE DONUT

CONGER

CHERRY TOMATO

STIED

GULPER

CRINGY

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1181, Friday, September 4. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for September 4 (#1181)?: The four groups are SPHERICAL THINGS (BOWLING BALL, EYE, MOON, ORANGE); FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS (CAKE DONUT, CANDY CORN, CHERRY TOMATO, PIZZA PIE); KINDS OF EELS (CONGER, GULPER, MORAY, RIBBON); ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS (CRINGY, OPINE, STIED, THAT'S).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.