Today's puzzle · Puzzle #1181
NYT Connections Hints & Answers — September 4, 2026 (#1181)
Group hints and answers for the NYT Connections puzzle on . Get a spoiler-free nudge for each group, or reveal the full solution — your call.
Difficulty: Hard
Spoiler control
Choose how much to reveal
Reveal one step at a time — nudges first, full answers only if you ask.
1. Group nudges spoiler-free
- Yellow: Items that are basically ball-shaped.
- Green: Each name is literally two foods stuck together.
- Blue: Real types of those long, slippery fish.
- Purple: Strip the first and last letters — what’s left is something you wear.
2. One word from each group a foothold
- Yellow: BOWLING BALL
- Green: CAKE DONUT
- Blue: CONGER
- Purple: CRINGY
3. The four category names no words yet
- Yellow: SPHERICAL THINGS
- Green: FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS
- Blue: KINDS OF EELS
- Purple: ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS
4. Reveal groups one by one
Yellow group
SPHERICAL THINGS
- BOWLING BALL
- EYE
- MOON
- ORANGE
Green group
FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS
- CAKE DONUT
- CANDY CORN
- CHERRY TOMATO
- PIZZA PIE
Blue group
KINDS OF EELS
- CONGER
- GULPER
- MORAY
- RIBBON
Purple group
ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS
- CRINGY
- OPINE
- STIED
- THAT'S
5. Reveal everything full spoilers
Yellow — SPHERICAL THINGS
- BOWLING BALL
- EYE
- MOON
- ORANGE
Green — FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS
- CAKE DONUT
- CANDY CORN
- CHERRY TOMATO
- PIZZA PIE
Blue — KINDS OF EELS
- CONGER
- GULPER
- MORAY
- RIBBON
Purple — ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS
- CRINGY
- OPINE
- STIED
- THAT'S
NYT Connections #1181 — quick answers
What are today's Connections categories?
SPHERICAL THINGS; FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS; KINDS OF EELS; ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS.
What are all the answers?
- SPHERICAL THINGS: BOWLING BALL, EYE, MOON, ORANGE
- FOOD WHOSE NAME IS TWO FOODS: CAKE DONUT, CANDY CORN, CHERRY TOMATO, PIZZA PIE
- KINDS OF EELS: CONGER, GULPER, MORAY, RIBBON
- ACCESSORIES INSIDE STARTING AND ENDING LETTERS: CRINGY, OPINE, STIED, THAT'S
Also for: Connections hints 9/4/26, 9-4-26, 9 4 26, 9/4/2026, and puzzle #1181.
Also stuck on Strands, Wordle, Spelling Bee or Mini Crossword ?
Today's puzzle, in a nutshell
Yellow is round objects. Green stacks two food words into one name. Blue is eel species. Purple hides accessories inside longer words (ring, pin, tie, hat).