If you’re trying for the Connections reply for Friday, September 4, 2026, learn on—I’ll share some clues, suggestions, and techniques, and eventually the options to all 4 classes. Along the way in which, I’ll clarify the meanings of the trickier phrases and we’ll learn the way all the pieces suits collectively. Beware, there are spoilers beneath for September 4, NYT Connections #1,181! Read on in order for you some hints (after which the reply) to at the moment’s Connections sport.
If you need a straightforward technique to come again to our Connections hints each day, bookmark this page. (If you play Wordle or Strands, take a look at our hints for these video games, too.)
Below, I’ll provide you with some indirect hints at at the moment’s Connections solutions. And farther down the web page, I’ll reveal the themes and the solutions. Scroll slowly and take simply the hints you want!
Credit: Connections/NYT
The class varieties in at the moment’s Connections puzzle
Here are spoiler-free hints that describe the kind of every class in at the moment’s Connections:
Yellow class – Related nouns.
Green class – Related nouns/wordplay.
Blue class – Related modifiers.
Purple class – Wordplay.
Hints for the themes in at the moment’s Connections puzzle
Here are some spoiler-free hints for the groupings in at the moment’s Connections:
Yellow class – Same form.
Green class – They are made up of two comparable halves.
Blue class – They swim underwater and look a bit sinister.
Purple class – They have style phrases inside.
BEWARE: Spoilers comply with for at the moment’s Connections puzzle!
We’re about to present away a number of the solutions. Scroll slowly when you don’t need the entire thing spoiled. (The full resolution is a bit additional down.)
A heads up concerning the difficult elements
There’s no “That’s Amore” class at the moment—it’s only a enjoyable popular culture reference.
RIBBON refers to a sort of eel.
OPINE has a phrase inside that describes one thing you may affix to a shirt.
What are the classes in at the moment’s Connections?
DOUBLE BEWARE: THE SOLUTION IS BELOW
Ready to be taught the solutions to at the moment’s Connections puzzle? I give all of them away beneath.
What are the yellow phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The yellow grouping is taken into account to be essentially the most simple. The theme for at the moment’s yellow group is SPHERICAL THINGS and the phrases are: BOWLING BALL, EYE, MOON, ORANGE.
What are the inexperienced phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The inexperienced grouping is meant to be the second-easiest. The theme for at the moment’s inexperienced class is FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS and the phrases are: CAKE DONUT, CANDY CORN, CHERRY TOMATO, PIZZA PIE.
What are the blue phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The blue grouping is the second-hardest. The theme for at the moment’s blue class is KINDS OF EELS and the phrases are: CONGER, GULPER, MORAY, RIBBON.
What are the purple phrases in at the moment’s Connections?
The purple grouping is taken into account to be the toughest. The theme for at the moment’s purple class is ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS and the phrases are: CRINGY, OPINE, STIED, THAT’S.
How I solved at the moment’s Connections
MORAY is a sort of eel, proper? I feel CONGER is one other eel. GULPER feels like it will be an eel, however I’m unsure.
OPINE is a phrase for narrating or sharing one’s ideas—but it surely additionally ends in PINE, a sort of tree. I don’t see different phrases like that on the board, although.
I see a variety of spherical objects: BOWLING BALL, MOON, PIZZA PIE. Oh, and people are all spherical objects with dots or holes, proper? Maybe ORANGE suits there, too? Nope, “one away.” On the fitting monitor, although. Maybe it’s CHERRY TOMATO as an alternative of ORANGE? Nope, not even a “one away” now. I suppose ORANGE suits in spite of everything.
What do you assume up to now?
Oh, possibly PIZZA PIE goes with CANDY CORN, CAKE DONUT, and CHERRY TOMATO as meals names which are made up of two different meals names. 🟩
I’ll strive MORAY, RIBBON, GULPER, and CONGER as my eel class. 🟦
I suppose EYE is the final orb-like object to go together with BOWLING BALL, MOON, and ORANGE? 🟨
That leaves THAT’S, STIED, OPINE, and CRINGY. Hmm, that is an odd grouping. It’s most likely a wordplay factor, as a result of there’s no method it’s a fill-in-the-blank. CRINGY ends in “ringy.” It additionally has simply “ring” within the center. Oh, that’s most likely it: THAT’S has “hat” within the center, STIED has “tie,” OPINE has “pin.” Those are all style gadgets. 🟪
Connections Puzzle #1181 🟨🟩🟨🟨 🟨🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪
How to play Connections
I’ve a full guide to playing Connections, however right here’s a refresher on the foundations:
First, discover the Connections sport both on the New York Times website or of their Games app (previously the Crossword app). You’ll see a sport board with 16 tiles, every with one phrase or phrase. Your job is to pick a gaggle of 4 tiles which have one thing in frequent. Often they’re all the identical sort of factor (for instance: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all sorts of moist climate) however generally there may be wordplay concerned (for instance, BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all sorts of lists: bucket listing, visitor listing, and so forth).
Select 4 gadgets and hit the Submit button. If you guessed accurately, the class and coloration shall be revealed. (Yellow is best, adopted by inexperienced, then blue, then purple.) If your guess was incorrect, you’ll get an opportunity to strive once more.
You win while you’ve accurately recognized all 4 teams. But when you make 4 errors earlier than you end, the sport ends and the solutions are revealed.
How to win Connections
The most essential factor to know to win Connections is that the groupings are designed to be difficult. Expect to see overlapping teams. For instance, one puzzle appeared to incorporate six breakfast meals: BACON, EGG, PANCAKE, OMELET, WAFFLE, and CEREAL. But BACON turned out to be a part of a gaggle of painters together with CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, and EGG was in a gaggle of issues that come by the dozen (together with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don’t hit “submit” till you’ve confirmed that your group of 4 incorporates solely these 4 issues.
If you’re caught, one other technique is to have a look at the phrases that appear to have no connection to the others. If all that involves thoughts while you see WHISTLER is the portray nicknamed “Whistler’s Mother,” you is likely to be on to one thing. When I solved that one, I ended up googling whether or not there was a painter named Close, as a result of Close didn’t match any of the apparent themes, both.
Another technique to win while you’re caught is, clearly, to learn a couple of useful hints–which is why we share these pointers each day. Check again tomorrow for the subsequent puzzle!
Not the day you are after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.