NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #1188)

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 #1188) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PROCESS
• LUCK
• JOURNAL
• DIGEST
• EXERCISE
• ABSORB
• PLANNER
• ENVELOPE
• UNPLUG
• AGENDA
• TAKE IN
• BAND
• PHOTOGRAPHER
• MEDITATE
• FLORIST
• LIMITS

NYT Connections today (game #1188) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Wedding employees
• GREEN: Deep thoughts
• BLUE: Look after your wellbeing
• PURPLE: Move forward

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 #1188) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT
• GREEN: INTERNALIZE
• BLUE: WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

The answers to today's Connections, game #1188, are…

• YELLOW: PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT: BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER
• GREEN: INTERNALIZE: ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN
• BLUE: WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE: EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY: AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK

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• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

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If only I had pushed the ENVELOPE I could have got a purple first.

Alas, before seeing THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY I had already made a mistake, linking DIGEST, JOURNAL, AGENDA and PLANNER thinking these were forms of written documentation.

Fortunately, my error was a minor hiccup and some light thought, rather than the deep variety, helped me connect INTERNALIZE and WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE.

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Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, September 10, 2026, game #1187)

• YELLOW: CHEMICAL ELEMENTS ACTINIUM, KRYPTON, LEAD, SULFUR
• GREEN: WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE STICKING OUT OF A WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER, CATIO, CLOTHESLINE, FLOWER BOX
• BLUE: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CLASSICS: ATLANTIC CITY, BADLANDS, BORN TO RUN, THUNDER ROAD
• PURPLE: ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "HAPPENING NOW" ADULT CONTEMPORARY, ALTERNATING CURRENT, REPRESENT, SEXTANT

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What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.