What is the NYT Connections answer for September 18 (#1195)?

The four groups are SEGMENT OF A PROCESS (PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP); ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK (FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER); PARTS OF A FLIGHT (BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF); ___CASE (BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "___CASE" — 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 18, 2026#1195

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, September 18

DailyWordHints Editorial September 18

SEGMENT OF A PROCESS

Easiest

ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK

Easy

PARTS OF A FLIGHT

Tricky

___CASE

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are SEGMENT OF A PROCESS (yellow), ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK (green), PARTS OF A FLIGHT (blue), ___CASE (purple).

PILLOW

CRUISE

UPPER

STEP

FLIGHT

STAIR

PLATTER

LANDING

ROUND

STAGE

TAKEOFF

MEDLEY

BRIEF

BOARDING

SAMPLER

PHASE

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 #1195, Friday, September 18. 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.

Watch out for the decoy

A classic trap today: "FLIGHT" looks like it belongs with "PARTS OF A FLIGHT", but it doesn't. Double-check any word that seems to fit two groups before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for September 18 (#1195)?: The four groups are SEGMENT OF A PROCESS (PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP); ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK (FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER); PARTS OF A FLIGHT (BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF); ___CASE (BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "___CASE" — 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.