NYT Connections Answer

Another day, another brain-teasing grid from the New York Times! If you’re here, you might be scratching your head over a few overlapping themes in today’s puzzle. Wyna Liu really leaned into words that could fit in multiple spots today—especially with the word "FLIGHT" making a double appearance in spirit.

If you’re looking for a NYT Connections hint or the full answer for 2026-09-18, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s break down the logic behind today’s categories.

General Hints for Today’s Puzzle

Before we dive into the answers, here are a few clues to get your gears turning:

1. Yellow Group: Think about the incremental steps you take when completing a task or playing a video game.
2. Green Group: Imagine you’re at a restaurant or a brewery and you want to try a little bit of everything.
3. Blue Group: Fasten your seatbelts! This category is all about air travel.
4. Purple Group: These four words all share a common suffix. Try adding a four-letter word that starts with "C" to the end of them.

Yellow: Segment of a Process

These words are all synonyms for a single part of a larger sequence. Whether you are following a recipe or moving through a tournament, these are the building blocks.

• PHASE
• ROUND
• STAGE
• STEP

Why they fit: Each word describes a specific period or increment within a multi-step operation.

Green: Assortments of Food/Drink

This category was the "red herring" trap today because "FLIGHT" is also a term used in aviation. However, in this context, it refers to a tasting selection.

• FLIGHT (e.g., a flight of craft beers)
• MEDLEY
• PLATTER
• SAMPLER

Why they fit: These terms all describe a variety of different food or drink items served together as a single order.

Blue: Parts of a Flight

While the Green group used "Flight" as a member, the Blue group describes the actual experience of being on an airplane.

• BOARDING
• CRUISE
• LANDING
• TAKEOFF

Why they fit: These are the chronological milestones of a typical journey through the air. "Cruise" refers to the period of the flight at a stable altitude.

Purple: ___CASE

Today’s purple category is a classic "fill-in-the-blank" style. It’s often the hardest to spot because the words seem unrelated until you add the missing link.

• BRIEF (Briefcase)
• PILLOW (Pillowcase)
• STAIR (Staircase)
• UPPER (Uppercase)

Why they fit: When you add the word CASE to the end of these four words, you create four very common compound words or phrases.

Final Thoughts for September 18

Today's puzzle was all about navigating the different meanings of "Flight" and "Stage." If you got caught up trying to put "STAIR" with the aviation terms, don't worry—you weren't alone! The Purple category (Uppercase/Briefcase) was definitely the trickiest connection to make.

Hopefully, this guide helped you keep your winning streak alive!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is a daily word game where players are given 16 words and must group them into four categories of four. Each category has a different difficulty level, ranging from straight-forward (Yellow) to abstract or wordplay-based (Purple).

When does the NYT Connections reset?

A new puzzle is released every day at midnight in your local time zone.

How many mistakes can you make in Connections?

You are allowed four mistakes. On your fourth incorrect guess, the game ends and reveals the correct answers to you.

What do the colors in Connections mean?

The colors indicate the difficulty level assigned by the editors:

• Yellow: The most straightforward.
• Green: Usually involves common definitions or themes.
• Blue: Can involve more specific knowledge or slight wordplay.
• Purple: The trickiest, often involving wordplay, homophones, or "fill-in-the-blank" clues.