Need help with today’s NYT Connections #1195? Here are spoiler-free hints for Friday, September 18, before the full answers and categories.
NYT Connections hints for September 18
- Yellow: Think about different points or sections in a process as it moves from beginning to end.
- Green: These words can describe selections or assortments of food and drinks.
- Blue: Think about the different parts of an airplane journey, from getting on board to reaching the destination.
- Purple: Add the same four-letter word after each answer to create familiar words.
Main trap: FLIGHT looks like an obvious fit with BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING and TAKEOFF. However, it belongs to a different category, making it one of today’s strongest red herrings.
Blue clue: TAKEOFF and LANDING are the strongest anchors. Think about two other stages that are part of traveling by plane, but be careful about where FLIGHT belongs.
Purple clue: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR and UPPER do not share an obvious definition. Instead, try putting the same word after each one.
Today’s NYT Connections answers
Reveal the Yellow Group
Category: Segment of a process
Answers: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP
All four can describe a distinct part of a larger process. A project can move through a PHASE or STAGE, a competition can advance through a ROUND, and a procedure can be divided into individual STEPS.
Reveal the Green Group
Category: Assortments of food/drink
Answers: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER
Each word can describe a selection of food or drinks served together. A FLIGHT offers several drinks for tasting, while a MEDLEY, PLATTER or SAMPLER can bring multiple items together in one serving.
FLIGHT is especially deceptive because another category in today’s puzzle revolves around air travel.
Reveal the Blue Group
Category: Parts of a flight
Answers: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF
These describe recognizable parts of an airplane journey. Passengers begin with BOARDING, the aircraft goes through TAKEOFF, spends much of the trip in CRUISE and finishes with LANDING.
The challenge is resisting FLIGHT, which appears tailor-made for this group but actually belongs with the food and drink assortments.
Reveal the Purple Group
Category: ____case
Answers: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER
Each forms a familiar word when followed by CASE: briefcase, pillowcase, staircase and uppercase.
Why today’s Connections was tricky: FLIGHT creates a particularly effective overlap between the Green and Blue groups. Players who immediately pair it with the air-travel words may find themselves with five seemingly convincing candidates for only four spaces.
Today’s solving lesson: Watch for words that fit a category almost too perfectly. If five words appear connected, one may be a deliberate red herring. Solving another group first can reveal which four actually belong together.
Players can attempt the official daily puzzle and check their results on the New York Times Connections page.
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