Connections Today: Hints and Answers for #1284 — September 11
Sixteen tiles, four hidden groups of four, ordered yellow to purple. The hints start with a two-word nudge per group and only name a category five rungs later.
Today's board
The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.
Connections hints, one rung at a time
Six rungs, softest first. This page remembers which ones you opened while this board is current.
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Hint 1: Four one-line nudges, one per group
The softest hint there is.
- Yellow
- Event Roles
- Green
- Understand
- Blue
- Relax
- Purple
- Metaphorical
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Hint 2: What links each group, described
No titles, no tiles named.
Yellow group
Professionals you might hire for a specific occasion or celebration
Green group
What happens when you fully grasp or comprehend something
Blue group
Activities that help you unwind and feel more calm
Purple group
Concepts or ideas that can be figuratively advanced or driven
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Hint 3: Board facts
1 of the sixteen tile is more than one word — often where a category hides.
- Tiles
- 16 across 4 groups
- Longest tile
- 12 characters
- Shortest tile
- 4 characters
- Multi-word tiles
- 1
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Hint 4: The trap on this board
No group is named.
Some cards could fit into multiple categories, consider 'PROCESS' and 'EXERCISE' carefully
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Hint 5: The four category titles
Half the answer; the groupings are still yours.
- Yellow
- PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT
- Green
- INTERNALIZE
- Blue
- WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE
- Purple
- THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY
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Hint 6: One tile from each group
The anchor most people misplace.
- Yellow — PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT
- PLANNER
- Green — INTERNALIZE
- PROCESS
- Blue — WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE
- UNPLUG
- Purple — THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY
- LUCK
Today's Connections answers, group by group
Spoilers below. Opening a group tints and captions its four tiles on the board above.
Yellow group · 4 tiles
PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT
BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER. The yellow group consists of 'BAND', 'FLORIST', 'PHOTOGRAPHER', 'PLANNER', which are all people or services you might hire for an event.
Green group · 4 tiles
INTERNALIZE
ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN. The green group consists of 'ABSORB', 'DIGEST', 'PROCESS', 'TAKE IN', which all relate to internalizing or understanding information.
Blue group · 4 tiles
WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE
EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG. The blue group consists of 'EXERCISE', 'JOURNAL', 'MEDITATE', 'UNPLUG', which are all methods for practicing self-care and relaxation.
Purple group · 4 tiles
THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY
AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK. The purple group consists of 'AGENDA', 'ENVELOPE', 'LIMITS', 'LUCK', which are all things that can be pushed or advanced metaphorically.
This board by the numbers
edited by Wyna Liu.
- Puzzle
- #1284 · Friday, September 11, 2026
- Tiles
- 16 in a 4 × 4 grid
- Groups
- 4, yellow to purple
- Multi-word tiles
- 1
- Longest tile
- PHOTOGRAPHER
- Mistakes allowed
- 4 before the board locks
The last board we archived
The newest archived page is Connections answers for #1272, Wednesday, September 9, 2026, created once its date stopped being current everywhere on Earth.
More puzzles today
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Today's NYT Pips hints and answers
Easy, medium and hard boards, rules first and walkthroughs last.
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Today's NYT Wordle hints and answer
Letter shape, vowels and meaning, with the answer kept last.
How Connections works, in short
Submit four tiles you think belong together. Correct ones lock in; a wrong guess costs one of four lives, and "one away" means three were right. Solve by elimination: clear the group you are surest of, then re-read what is left. Our full Connections guide covers the traps.
NYT Connections questions we get asked
When does a new NYT Connections puzzle appear?
At midnight in your own time zone, not New York time. This page resolves your local date first.
What are the Connections categories for September 11?
In difficulty order: PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT; INTERNALIZE; WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE; THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY. Yellow is the giveaway, purple the wordplay one.
Which tiles are the traps in Connections #1284?
Some cards could fit into multiple categories, consider 'PROCESS' and 'EXERCISE' carefully
How do I get a Connections hint without spoiling the grid?
Work down the ladder: a nudge per group, the link described, the board counted, the trap. Titles arrive at rung five, members at rung six.
What are all the Connections answers for September 11?
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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No — TodayHint is independent. Strands, Connections, Pips and NYT are trademarks of The New York Times Company.