If today’s New York Times Connections grid has you burning through your mistakes, you are not alone. Puzzle #1180 features some heavy misdirection, with several words seemingly fitting into a color or math theme before pulling the rug out from under you.
Below are strategic, spoiler-free hints to help you group today’s words on your own, followed by the exact categories and answers at the bottom of the page.
Today’s Connections Strategy & Commentary
Watch out for the red herrings today. At first glance, words like Sum and Count look like they belong together as general math terms, while Carmine and Maroon could easily be sorted as any color rather than specifically red shades. Toy car brands might not be the first thing that comes to mind for Hot Wheels and Tonka.
Committing to those wrong groups early will cost you chances. We recommend looking at the phrase patterns for each category first. Checking whether a word fits a common saying, a specific color family, a brand, or a spreadsheet function will make the remaining words much easier to sort.
Connections Hints Today: Category Clues
If you just need a nudge to get your brain moving in the right direction, here are clues for the four color-coded groups:
- 🟨 Yellow Group Hint (Easiest): Phrases used to describe a very short amount of time.
- 🟩 Green Group Hint (Medium): Specific shades of one primary color.
- 🟦 Blue Group Hint (Hard): Well-known brands that make miniature toy vehicles.
- 🟪 Purple Group Hint (Tricky): Common operations you can run on a data set in a spreadsheet.
Stuck on one word? If you have Trice, think “in a trice” rather than a number or measurement. It belongs to the Yellow group today!
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: The full answers are listed below. If you still want to solve the grid yourself using the clues above, do not scroll down.
NYT Connections Answers Today for September 3, 2026, Thursday Puzzle #1180
Here are the completed categories and groupings for today’s puzzle:
🟨 Yellow Group: TWO SHAKES OF A LAMB’S TAIL
- Blink
- Flash
- Heartbeat
- Trice
🟩 Green Group: SHADES OF RED
- Carmine
- Cinnabar
- Maroon
- Vermillion
🟦 Blue Group: TOY CAR BRANDS
- Hot Wheels
- Matchbox
- Micro Machines
- Tonka
🟪 Purple Group: SPREADSHEET FUNCTIONS
- Average
- Count
- Max
- Sum
Yesterday’s Answer
This is yesterday’s NYT Connections answer for September 2, 2026, Puzzle #1179.
🟨 Yellow Group: FLABBERGAST
🟩 Green Group: THINGS IN A VIOLIN CASE
🟦 Blue Group: _ DOGS (THAT ARE DOGS)
🟪 Purple Group: _ DOGS (THAT AREN’T DOGS)
For a complete list, visit our Connections archive.
Share you result
Did today’s puzzle give you a perfect Reverse Rainbow or did the tricky categories wipe out your board? Share your results grid or vent about today’s trickiest crossover words in the comments below.
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