NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, September 18 (game #1195)

Looking for a different day? A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'.

If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, September 17 (game #1194) .

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories.

It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course.

I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1195) - today's words (Image credit: New York Times) Today's NYT Connections words are… PILLOW CRUISE UPPER STEP FLIGHT STAIR PLATTER LANDING ROUND STAGE TAKEOFF MEDLEY BRIEF BOARDING SAMPLER PHASE NYT Connections today (game #1195) - hint #1 - group hints What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups? YELLOW: A part of the plan GREEN: A selection of small dishes BLUE: Stages of a journey PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “place” Need more clues? We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles… NYT Connections today (game #1195) - hint #2 - group answers What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups? YELLOW: SEGMENT OF A PROCESS GREEN: ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK BLUE: PARTS OF A FLIGHT PURPLE: ____ CASE Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1195) - the answers (Image credit: New York Times) The answers to today's Connections, game #1195, are… YELLOW: SEGMENT OF A PROCESS: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP GREEN: ASSORTMENTS OF FOOD/DRINK: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER BLUE: PARTS OF A FLIGHT: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF PURPLE: ____ CASE: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER My rating: Hard My score: 2 mistakes I’ve not had the best of Connections weeks and struggled again today.

Falling for the very obvious trap I included FLIGHT instead of CRUISE in what became PARTS OF A FLIGHT.

That particular tile was my undoing later in the game.

After getting SEGMENT OF A PROCESS, I decided that the third group must be about serving food so I had MEDLEY, PLATTER and SAMPLER locked in.