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 #1234) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TACO
• PEPPER
• DRUM
• JAR
• TINKER
• TOWER
• FIDDLE
• JINGLE
• LIBERTY
• CANAL
• TRIFLE
• DIVING
• ANVIL
• BOTTOMS
• STIRRUP
• MEDDLE

NYT Connections today (game #1234) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Fidget with an object
• GREEN: Aural anatomy
• BLUE: End with a thing you ring
• PURPLE: Start with a thing you ring

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 #1234) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: MESS (WITH)
• GREEN: PARTS OF THE EAR
• BLUE: _____BELL
• PURPLE: BELL_____

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

NYT Connections today (game #1234) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1234, are…

• YELLOW: MESS (WITH): FIDDLE, MEDDLE, TINKER, TRIFLE
• GREEN: PARTS OF THE EAR: ANVIL, CANAL, DRUM, STIRRUP
• BLUE: _____BELL: DIVING, JINGLE, LIBERTY, TACO
• PURPLE: BELL_____: BOTTOMS, JAR, PEPPER, TOWER

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

When I am on a mission with a Connections group I find it hard to stop myself until I’ve finally got it.

It took me four guesses to get the four tiles that made up ______BELL, because I kept including TINKER — a situation that could have been easily resolved if I’d spent some time looking at the connections that didn’t involve bells.

Annoying, but on a more positive note landing the four tiles that began with BELL won me a Purple First.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, October 26, 2026, game #1233)

• YELLOW: RESPONSES TO "HOW ARE YOU?": CHILLING, MANAGING, NOT BAD, SAME OLD
• GREEN: KINDS OF MATS: PRAYER, WELCOME, WRESTLING, YOGA
• BLUE: AKC DOG BREED GROUPS: HERDING, HOUND, SPORTING, TOY
• PURPLE: HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED: HALLOWEEK, HOSTED, JAWN, PSYCHS

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 #1233) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• WELCOME
• HALLOWEEK
• CHILLING
• TOY
• YOGA
• JAWN
• SPORTING
• PRAYER
• PSYCHS
• HOUND
• MANAGING
• WRESTLING
• SAME OLD
• HOSTED
• HERDING
• NOT BAD

NYT Connections today (game #1233) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Answers to a personal question
• GREEN: Add something like a small carpet
• BLUE: Classy canines
• PURPLE: Alterations to scary films

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 #1233) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: RESPONSES TO "HOW ARE YOU?"
• GREEN: KINDS OF MATS
• BLUE: AKC DOG BREED GROUPS
• PURPLE: HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED

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

NYT Connections today (game #1233) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1233, are…

• YELLOW: RESPONSES TO "HOW ARE YOU?": CHILLING, MANAGING, NOT BAD, SAME OLD
• GREEN: KINDS OF MATS: PRAYER, WELCOME, WRESTLING, YOGA
• BLUE: AKC DOG BREED GROUPS: HERDING, HOUND, SPORTING, TOY
• PURPLE: HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED: HALLOWEEK, HOSTED, JAWN, PSYCHS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

The fact that I escaped today with just one mistake from this game is a miracle, as I had absolutely no clue about any of the groups. The closest I got to being confident was the yellow group, where I had a minor wobble over MANAGING but convinced myself that they were all something to do with therapy.

My mistake came with collecting the four KINDS OF MATS, where I had TOY instead of WELCOME and figured it out after getting the “one away” pop-up.

Down to the final eight I couldn’t see any links at all beyond JAWN and PSYCHS both being odd words and HOUND and SPORTING sounding like they belonged together. I added TOY and HERDING for the hell of it and was thrilled to land a correct set.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, October 25, 2026, game #1232)

• YELLOW: STEAL: BOOST, PALM, POCKET, SWIPE
• GREEN: PASTA SHAPES: BOW TIE, ELBOW, SHELL, WAGON WHEEL
• BLUE: FICTIONAL TOMS: RIPLEY, SAWYER, SWIFT, THUMB
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED: FINGERS, FOOTBALL, GLOW STICK, RUBBER BAND

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 #1232) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• GLOW STICK
• WAGON WHEEL
• POCKET
• FOOTBALL
• THUMB
• ELBOW
• SWIFT
• FINGERS
• SHELL
• PALM
• RUBBER BAND
• BOW TIE
• SAWYER
• SWIPE
• RIPLEY
• BOOST

NYT Connections today (game #1232) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Pinch
• GREEN: Italian carbs
• BLUE: Thomas’s of note
• PURPLE: A thing in common that rhymes with “tapped”

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 #1232) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: STEAL
• GREEN: PASTA SHAPES
• BLUE: FICTIONAL TOMS
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED

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

NYT Connections today (game #1232) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1232, are…

• YELLOW: STEAL: BOOST, PALM, POCKET, SWIPE
• GREEN: PASTA SHAPES: BOW TIE, ELBOW, SHELL, WAGON WHEEL
• BLUE: FICTIONAL TOMS: RIPLEY, SAWYER, SWIFT, THUMB
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED: FINGERS, FOOTBALL, GLOW STICK, RUBBER BAND

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

A confession: the green and purple groups completely passed me by today and I really struggled with the last eight tiles..

I eat a lot of pasta, so this feels a little bit annoying. BOW TIE and SHELL I get, but ELBOW? Meanwhile, cultural differences hindered me getting THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED as I have no idea what a quarterback does involving snapping.

Had FOOTBALL been replaced by ANKLE and ELBOW by conchiglie I would have done better… possibly. Instead, I got across the line with guesswork.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, October 24, 2026, game #1231)

• YELLOW: KINDS OF STRIPS: BACON, COMIC, FILM, MÖBIUS
• GREEN: THINGS ON STICKS: HOBBY HORSE, PINWHEEL, POPSICLE, SPARKLER
• BLUE: ONLINE AD FORMATS: BANNER, INTERSTITIAL, OVERLAY, POP-UP
• PURPLE: _____ BAR: CANDY, SALAD, SPACE, SPORTS

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 #1231) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• COMIC
• SALAD
• BACON
• SPARKLER
• POPSICLE
• POP-UP
• CANDY
• HOBBY HORSE
• BANNER
• PINWHEEL
• SPACE
• FILM
• INTERSTITIAL
• SPORTS
• MÖBIUS
• OVERLAY

NYT Connections today (game #1231) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Come in narrow pieces
• GREEN: A format you can hold
• BLUE: Methods of internet advertising
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “car”

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 #1231) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: KINDS OF STRIPS
• GREEN: THINGS ON STICKS
• BLUE: ONLINE AD FORMATS
• PURPLE: _____ BAR

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

NYT Connections today (game #1231) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1231, are…

• YELLOW: KINDS OF STRIPS: BACON, COMIC, FILM, MÖBIUS
• GREEN: THINGS ON STICKS: HOBBY HORSE, PINWHEEL, POPSICLE, SPARKLER
• BLUE: ONLINE AD FORMATS: BANNER, INTERSTITIAL, OVERLAY, POP-UP
• PURPLE: _____ BAR: CANDY, SALAD, SPACE, SPORTS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Unlike TV and print advertising, ONLINE AD FORMATS are not something people are going to feel much nostalgia for in the future, mainly because in order to work they decided that they had to be annoying, flickering things that got in the way of what you actually wanted to look at on the internet.

This is where I made my mistake — guessing PINWHEEL before deciding that INTERSTITIAL sounded like the sort of annoying word that belonged in the world of online ads; these are the ones that take up the entire screen and require you to hunt for the X to click off them.

I can’t help thinking online advertising would be more successful if they could find a way to make it less annoying.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, October 23, 2026, game #1230)

• YELLOW: FORTHRIGHT: DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, VOCAL
• GREEN: THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER: DRIVER, EXTENSION, PLUGIN, UPDATE
• BLUE: QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER: DISTANCE, FORCE, POWER, TIME
• PURPLE: _____ TAP: DOUBLE, LOVE, PHONE, SPINAL

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 #1230) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• EXTENSION
• LOVE
• DIRECT
• POWER
• SPINAL
• VOCAL
• DRIVER
• DISTANCE
• PHONE
• TIME
• UPDATE
• OPEN
• FRANK
• FORCE
• DOUBLE
• PLUGIN

NYT Connections today (game #1230) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Say exactly what you mean
• GREEN: Add to a PC
• BLUE: Do the math with these
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “cap”

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 #1230) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FORTHRIGHT
• GREEN: THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER
• BLUE: QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER
• PURPLE: _____ TAP

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

NYT Connections today (game #1230) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1230, are…

• YELLOW: FORTHRIGHT: DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, VOCAL
• GREEN: THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER: DRIVER, EXTENSION, PLUGIN, UPDATE
• BLUE: QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER: DISTANCE, FORCE, POWER, TIME
• PURPLE: _____ TAP: DOUBLE, LOVE, PHONE, SPINAL

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of the expression “love tap” but gambled that LOVE was the most likely candidate to join SPINAL, PHONE, and DOUBLE.

My leap in the dark paid off and I was rewarded with a Purple First — a great way to end the week and I hope you joined me. As Nigel Tufnel put it in This is Spinal Tap: "It's such a fine line between stupid, and uh… clever."

Thankfully, I didn’t let my triumph go to my head and managed to see THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER and FORTHRIGHT without slipping up.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, October 22, 2026, game #1229)

• YELLOW: PARTS TO BE GRASPED: GRIP, HANDLE, HILT, KNOB
• GREEN: KINDS OF SCULPTURES: BUST, MOBILE, RELIEF, STATUE
• BLUE: AMERICAN FOOTBALL POSITIONS: END, GUARD, SAFETY, TACKLE
• PURPLE: STARTS OF BEDDING: BLANK, COMFORT, PILL, SHE

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 #1229) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MOBILE
• COMFORT
• BLANK
• SAFETY
• RELIEF
• GRIP
• END
• BUST
• HANDLE
• TACKLE
• PILL
• KNOB
• SHE
• GUARD
• HILT
• STATUE

NYT Connections today (game #1229) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Grab a hold of something
• GREEN: Art you with weight
• BLUE: NFL players
• PURPLE: Partially sleep on these

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 #1229) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PARTS TO BE GRASPED
• GREEN: KINDS OF SCULPTURES
• BLUE: AMERICAN FOOTBALL POSITIONS
• PURPLE: STARTS OF BEDDING

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

NYT Connections today (game #1229) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1229, are…

• YELLOW: PARTS TO BE GRASPED: GRIP, HANDLE, HILT, KNOB
• GREEN: KINDS OF SCULPTURES: BUST, MOBILE, RELIEF, STATUE
• BLUE: AMERICAN FOOTBALL POSITIONS: END, GUARD, SAFETY, TACKLE
• PURPLE: STARTS OF BEDDING: BLANK, COMFORT, PILL, SHE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

You know a game is difficult when the yellow/so-called easiest group has multiple possibilities that could trip you up. In this case, SAFETY and GUARD could easily have joined the four tiles that made up PARTS TO BE GRASPED.

Fortunately, I avoided the traps (I also had a brief moment contemplating a baby-themed foursome) before I landed KINDS OF SCULPTURES early on in the game.

Everything we do informs our Connections knowledge and for me, knowing an artist and remembering some of the ways she has described her art pieces helped me connect BUST, MOBILE, RELIEF and STATUE with confidence.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, October 21, 2026, game #1228)

• YELLOW: CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES: DUCK DUCK GOOSE, HOT POTATO, LEAPFROG, MUSICAL CHAIRS
• GREEN: IMPORTANT PERSON: ALPHA DOG, BIG CHEESE, HEAVYWEIGHT, TOP BANANA
• BLUE: FAMOUS PAINTINGS: AMERICAN GOTHIC, CAMPBELL'S SOUP CAN, SUNFLOWERS, THE SCREAM
• PURPLE: DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION):
• ENGLISH HORN, GRAPE-NUTS, MANTIS SHRIMP, SWEETBREAD

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 #1228) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ENGLISH HORN
• LEAPFROG
• ALPHA DOG
• SWEETBREAD
• HOT POTATO
• MANTIS SHRIMP
• SUNFLOWERS
• BIG CHEESE
• AMERICAN
• GOTHIC
• GRAPE-NUTS
• CAMPBELL'S
• SOUP CAN
• DUCK DUCK
• GOOSE
• TOP BANANA
• THE SCREAM
• MUSICAL CHAIRS
• HEAVYWEIGHT

NYT Connections today (game #1228) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Playground contests
• GREEN: Main character energy
• BLUE: Iconic artworks
• PURPLE: Very misleading names

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 #1228) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES
• GREEN: IMPORTANT PERSON
• BLUE: FAMOUS PAINTINGS
• PURPLE: DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION)

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

NYT Connections today (game #1228) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1228, are…

• YELLOW: CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES: DUCK DUCK GOOSE, HOT POTATO, LEAPFROG, MUSICAL CHAIRS
• GREEN: IMPORTANT PERSON: ALPHA DOG, BIG CHEESE, HEAVYWEIGHT, TOP BANANA
• BLUE: FAMOUS PAINTINGS: AMERICAN GOTHIC, CAMPBELL'S SOUP CAN, SUNFLOWERS, THE SCREAM
• PURPLE: DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION): ENGLISH HORN, GRAPE-NUTS, MANTIS SHRIMP, SWEETBREAD

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

It’s been a while since I’ve completed a game in yellow-green-blue-purple difficulty order, something I never do deliberately but which I always find oddly satisfying when it happens.

Yesterday’s Strands featured DUCK DUCK GOOSE, so I was immediately drawn to begin with that and the other CLASSIC CHILDREN’S GAMES — my favorite when I was a mischievous eight-year-old was a game called Knock Down Ginger which involved ringing people’s doorbells and running away. A bit mean, in hindsight, and now something that Ring Doorbells have possibly seen the end of.

DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION) is an excellent group, but my ignorance of three of the four tiles prevented me from making the connection; the only one I was familiar with was GRAPE NUTS, a cereal whose absence of grapes and nuts has always puzzled me.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, October 20, 2026, game #1227)

• YELLOW: FINISH: CLOSE, END, STOP, WRAP
• GREEN: LACKEY: MINION, POODLE, PUPPET, STOOGE
• BLUE: MUSTACHES: CHEVRON, HORSESHOE, PENCIL, WALRUS
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS: ARIAL, BELL, DOCK, MINI

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 #1227) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CHEVRON
• DOCK
• BELL
• PENCIL
• POODLE
• WRAP
• MINI
• MINION
• WALRUS
• PUPPET
• CLOSE
• HORSESHOE
• ARIAL
• STOP
• STOOGE
• END

NYT Connections today (game #1227) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: It’s all over
• GREEN: Take the fall for the crime
• BLUE: Fancy facial hair
• PURPLE: Sounds like House of Mouse characters

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 #1227) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FINISH
• GREEN: LACKEY
• BLUE: MUSTACHES
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1227) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1227, are…

• YELLOW: FINISH: CLOSE, END, STOP, WRAP
• GREEN: LACKEY: MINION, POODLE, PUPPET, STOOGE
• BLUE: MUSTACHES: CHEVRON, HORSESHOE, PENCIL, WALRUS
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS: ARIAL, BELL, DOCK, MINI

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

This was such a horrible game and I came close to failure.

After getting LACKEY relatively easily, I made a mess of FINISH, opting for DOCK instead of STOP; I think I was thinking of things like spaceships coming to the end of their journeys.

For HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS no logic at all was applied, I just got lucky with my second random guess and got a 'one away'.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, October 19, 2026, game #1226)

• YELLOW: SEETHE: BOIL, FUME, RAVE, STEAM
• GREEN: ALL TALK: BLATHER, GAS, HOT AIR, WIND
• BLUE: "MC" THINGS AT MCDONALD'S: FLURRY, MUFFIN, NUGGETS, RIB
• PURPLE: ENDING IN BIRDS: ALIBIS, BALLOON, ESCROW, MOHAWK

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 #1226) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MOHAWK
• MUFFIN
• HOT AIR
• BALLOON
• RAVE
• WIND
• FLURRY
• STEAM
• GAS
• RIB
• FUME
• ALIBIS
• BOIL
• BLATHER
• ESCROW
• NUGGETS

NYT Connections today (game #1226) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Really angry
• GREEN: Mouthing off
• BLUE: Available at Burger King’s rival
• PURPLE: Avian finale

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 #1226) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SEETHE
• GREEN: ALL TALK
• BLUE: "MC" THINGS AT MCDONALD'S
• PURPLE: ENDING IN BIRDS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1226) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1226, are…

• YELLOW: SEETHE: BOIL, FUME, RAVE, STEAM
• GREEN: ALL TALK: BLATHER, GAS, HOT AIR, WIND
• BLUE: "MC" THINGS AT MCDONALD'S: FLURRY, MUFFIN, NUGGETS, RIB
• PURPLE: ENDING IN BIRDS: ALIBIS, BALLOON, ESCROW, MOHAWK

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I took a very circuitous route to getting my first group today.

Thinking that BALLOON were a clue I connected STEAM, HOT AIR, GAS, and WIND, reasoning these were all things that, erm, made a balloon move? The 'One away' pop-up helped me look again and I realized that with the addition of BLATHER we had a quartet of words describing folks who are, as my Grandad used to say, all mouth and no trousers.

From here "MC" THINGS AT MCDONALD'S was easier to spot — although it did remind me that I have never had a McRIB, a delicacy that has only appeared on UK menus a couple of times since the 1980s.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, October 18, 2026, game #1225)

• YELLOW: PLACES TO STORE CLOTHES: BUREAU, CHEST, TRUNK, WARDROBE
• GREEN: THINGS THAT COME IN STICKS: BUTTER, DEODORANT, DYNAMITE, INCENSE
• BLUE: FAMOUS PERFUMES: ANGEL, COCO, OBSESSION, OPIUM
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH THINGS THAT CLOUD THE AIR: FOGERTY, HAZEL, MISTER, VAPORETTO

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 #1225) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ANGEL
• BUTTER
• HAZEL
• DEODORANT
• COCO
• DYNAMITE
• MISTER
• FOGERTY
• CHEST
• INCENSE
• VAPORETTO
• BUREAU
• OBSESSION
• TRUNK
• OPIUM
• WARDROBE

NYT Connections today (game #1225) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Where to keep your clobber
• GREEN: A shared packaging format
• BLUE: Cologne of note
• PURPLE: A beginning that is hard to see

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 #1225) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PLACES TO STORE CLOTHES
• GREEN: THINGS THAT COME IN STICKS
• BLUE: FAMOUS PERFUMES
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH THINGS THAT CLOUD THE AIR

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

NYT Connections today (game #1225) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1225, are…

• YELLOW: PLACES TO STORE CLOTHES: BUREAU, CHEST, TRUNK, WARDROBE
• GREEN: THINGS THAT COME IN STICKS: BUTTER, DEODORANT, DYNAMITE, INCENSE
• BLUE: FAMOUS PERFUMES: ANGEL, COCO, OBSESSION, OPIUM
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH THINGS THAT CLOUD THE AIR: FOGERTY, HAZEL, MISTER, VAPORETTO

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I managed (just about) to resist the temptation of linking the four words that could end with “nut” — COCO, HAZEL, CHEST, and BUTTER — but the thought they were linked still clouded my judgement.

Recognizing OBSESSION, OPIUM and ANGEL as FAMOUS PERFUMES, I opted for VAPORETTO for some inexplicable reason, before seeing that COCO was the obvious fourth cologne.

The nut connection nixed, I saw the four furniture pieces and then with just eight tiles left the veil finally fell from my eyes and I linked the tiles STARTING WITH THINGS THAT CLOUD THE AIR.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, October 17, 2026, game #1224)

• YELLOW: DIGITAL NOTIFICATIONS: ALERT, CHIME, DING, PING
• GREEN: PHOTO: PRINT, SHOT, SNAP, STILL
• BLUE: KINDS OF CRABS: FIDDLER, HERMIT, KING, SNOW
• PURPLE: LA_____: BOHÈME, BREA, PAZ, SCALA

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 #1224) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BREA
• KING
• SNAP
• PING
• STILL
• PAZ
• SNOW
• SHOT
• BOHÈME
• FIDDLER
• ALERT
• PRINT
• CHIME
• SCALA
• HERMIT
• DING

NYT Connections today (game #1224) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Your phone wants your attention
• GREEN: Images
• BLUE: Types of marine beastie
• PURPLE: Missing a word that means “the”

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 #1224) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DIGITAL NOTIFICATIONS
• GREEN: PHOTO
• BLUE: KINDS OF CRABS
• PURPLE: LA_____

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

NYT Connections today (game #1224) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1224, are…

• YELLOW: DIGITAL NOTIFICATIONS: ALERT, CHIME, DING, PING
• GREEN: PHOTO: PRINT, SHOT, SNAP, STILL
• BLUE: KINDS OF CRABS: FIDDLER, HERMIT, KING, SNOW
• PURPLE: LA_____: BOHÈME, BREA, PAZ, SCALA

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

My initial thoughts were that there were a whole bunch of tiles about noises off and at least one word that you would associate with the word LA.

I decided to go with my second hunch and was rewarded with a Purple First for connecting BREA, PAZ, BOHÈME, and SCALA. Living in Europe possibly helped.

Having scored a success with this quartet and deciding to ignore the feeling I was falling into a trap, I submitted CHIME, PING, ALERT and DING. Next, now reduced to eight tiles, the four synonyms for PHOTO were easier to spot — a good thing, as my crab knowledge didn’t extend beyond HERMIT.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, October 16, 2026, game #1223)

• YELLOW: SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS: CHIP, MARK, NICK, SCRATCH
• GREEN: LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES: CHAD, HUNGARY, LAOS, PARAGUAY
• BLUE: EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER: BULGARI, CYRUS, HUNGRY, SPAN
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH WORDS FOR "STYLISH": CHICKEN, COOLIDGE, HIPPO, SMARTIES

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 #1223) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• HUNGARY
• HUNGRY
• HIPPO
• CHICKEN
• CHIP
• CHAD
• COOLIDGE
• CYRUS
• SPAN
• MARK
• LAOS
• NICK
• PARAGUAY
• SMARTIES
• BULGARI
• SCRATCH

NYT Connections today (game #1223) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Paint repair required
• GREEN: Nations without a coastline
• BLUE: Nations with something absent
• PURPLE: Fashionable to begin with

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 #1223) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS
• GREEN: LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES
• BLUE: EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH WORDS FOR "STYLISH"

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

NYT Connections today (game #1223) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1223, are…

• YELLOW: SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS: CHIP, MARK, NICK, SCRATCH
• GREEN: LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES: CHAD, HUNGARY, LAOS, PARAGUAY
• BLUE: EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER: BULGARI, CYRUS, HUNGRY, SPAN
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH WORDS FOR "STYLISH": CHICKEN, COOLIDGE, HIPPO, SMARTIES

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Having HUNGRY and HIPPO beside each other on the board, not to mention HUNGRY and HUNGARY, was very distracting. Fortunately I managed to focus and completed the game without a hitch.

I got the four EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER first, but it was a toss of a coin between that and the quartet of LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES.

Once again I managed to get Yellow last, which is something of an achievement considering that it was the most straightforward of today's groups and required no lateral thinking. Perhaps Hungry Hippo was a mental distraction after all.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, October 15, 2026, game #1222)

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD: CURE, DRY, PICKLE, SMOKE
• GREEN: THINGS YOU CAN SCORE IN SPORTS: BASKET, GOAL, RUN, TOUCHDOWN
• BLUE: LOWEST PART: BASE, BOTTOM, FOOT, FOUNDATION
• PURPLE: LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED: CANNON, FORGE, RACINE, VOLLEY

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 #1222) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SMOKE
• BASKET
• DRY
• FOOT
• VOLLEY
• CANNON
• RUN
• PICKLE
• BASE
• GOAL
• FORGE
• FOUNDATION
• CURE
• RACINE
• BOTTOM
• TOUCHDOWN

NYT Connections today (game #1222) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Keep things edible for longer
• GREEN: Game achievements
• BLUE: Sink down to see these
• PURPLE: Altered geography

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 #1222) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD
• GREEN: THINGS YOU CAN SCORE IN SPORTS
• BLUE: LOWEST PART
• PURPLE: LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED

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

NYT Connections today (game #1222) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1222, are…

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD: CURE, DRY, PICKLE, SMOKE
• GREEN: THINGS YOU CAN SCORE IN SPORTS: BASKET, GOAL, RUN, TOUCHDOWN
• BLUE: LOWEST PART: BASE, BOTTOM, FOOT, FOUNDATION
• PURPLE: LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED: CANNON, FORGE, RACINE, VOLLEY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Kudos if you were switched on enough to spot canyon, gorge, ravine and valley in the tiles that formed the purple group’s LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED. This kind of clever letter altering trickery always foxes me.

Instead, I fell for today’s most obvious trap and linked PICKLE, BASKET, FOOT and VOLLEY, thinking that “ball” was the connection (I could have included CANNON and BASE, too).

Fortunately, this was the end of my mistakes and I saw the real reason PICKLE and BASKET were in the game.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, October 14, 2026, game #1221)

• YELLOW: HINT: FLICKER, SUGGESTION, TRACE, WHIFF
• GREEN: TENNIS SHOTS: SERVE, SLICE, SMASH, VOLLEY
• BLUE: SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE": FLASH, HULK, PUNISHER, THING
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM": FEED, FIERY, FOMENT, FUMBLE

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 #1221) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FEED
• THING
• SERVE
• SUGGESTION
• FIERY
• FLICKER
• FLASH
• FOMENT
• SMASH
• HULK
• TRACE
• FUMBLE
• SLICE
• WHIFF
• VOLLEY

NYT Connections today (game #1221) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A small reveal
• GREEN: As seen at Wimbledon
• BLUE: Comic book champion
• PURPLE: A giant’s saying at the start

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 #1221) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: HINT
• GREEN: TENNIS SHOTS
• BLUE: SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE"
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM"

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

NYT Connections today (game #1221) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1221, are…

• YELLOW: HINT: FLICKER, SUGGESTION, TRACE, WHIFF
• GREEN: TENNIS SHOTS: SERVE, SLICE, SMASH, VOLLEY
• BLUE: SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE": FLASH, HULK, PUNISHER, THING
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM": FEED, FIERY, FOMENT, FUMBLE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

There is often a link between Strands and Connections and today I can’t help thinking that the purple group STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM" has some NYT thread with today’s folk and fairy tale theme in Strands.

For me, the expression, along with the next line “I smell the blood of an Englishman”, is a strong reminder of being a small child, when all adults seemed like giants, as it is what my uncle would bellow at the start of a hide-and-seek game.

Anyway, I digress as I completely missed it in favour of TENNIS SHOTS (I wanted to add PUNISHER in there as I’m sure there are some players who call their best shot that) and SUPERHEROES, WITH “THE”.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, October 13, 2026, game #1220)

• YELLOW: DISCERNMENT: EYE, FLAIR, SENSE, TASTE
• GREEN: FASTEN: HITCH, LASH, TETHER, TIE
• BLUE: SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES: BELT, CUP, JACKET, RING
• PURPLE: LOOSE_____: CANNON, CHANGE, ENDS, LIPS

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 #1220) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• EYE
• LASH
• LIPS
• JACKET
• TIE
• SENSE
• CHANGE
• BELT
• RING
• TASTE
• CUP
• HITCH
• CANNON
• TETHER
• FLAIR
• ENDS

NYT Connections today (game #1220) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Very particular
• GREEN: Put together
• BLUE: What winners get
• PURPLE: Begin with the opposite of tight

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 #1220) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DISCERNMENT
• GREEN: FASTEN
• BLUE: SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES
• PURPLE: LOOSE_____

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

NYT Connections today (game #1220) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1220, are…

• YELLOW: DISCERNMENT: EYE, FLAIR, SENSE, TASTE
• GREEN: FASTEN: HITCH, LASH, TETHER, TIE
• BLUE: SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES: BELT, CUP, JACKET, RING
• PURPLE: LOOSE_____: CANNON, CHANGE, ENDS, LIPS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Seeing LIPS, LASH and EYE on the top line of the grid immediately made me think about makeup, but I resisted the temptation to cobble a group together and instead waited to see if I could find anything more concrete.

I stumbled on a Purple First after trying to think about what possible group could contain CANNON and could only come up with weaponry and the phrase “loose cannon”, which chimed with CHANGE, ENDS, and LIPS.

Sadly I ruined my clean run with eight tiles left, as I thought we were looking for ways of strapping items of clothing, so I had BELT instead of TETHER in the group that became FASTEN.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, October 12, 2026, game #1219)

• YELLOW: STATUS: CONDITION, SHAPE, SITUATION, STATE
• GREEN: TOLERATE: BEAR, HANDLE, STAND, WEATHER
• BLUE: WORD SHORTENINGS, OFTEN: ABBREVIATION, CONTRACTION, ELISION, NICKNAME
• PURPLE: WORDS MADE USING U.S. POSTAL ABBREVIATIONS: ALKYLAMIDE, CALAMARI, MANDARIN, MELAMINE

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 #1219) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CALAMARI
• MANDARIN
• STATE
• ABBREVIATION
• NICKNAME
• HANDLE
• SHAPE
• WEATHER
• CONDITION
• CONTRACTION
• SITUATION
• BEAR
• ALKYLAMIDE
• STAND
• ELISION
• MELAMINE

NYT Connections today (game #1219) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Where we’re at
• GREEN: Put up or shut up
• BLUE: Brief words
• PURPLE: As seen on letters and packages

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 #1219) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: STATUS
• GREEN: TOLERATE
• BLUE: WORD SHORTENINGS, OFTEN
• PURPLE: WORDS MADE USING U.S. POSTAL ABBREVIATIONS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1219) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1219, are…

• YELLOW: STATUS: CONDITION, SHAPE, SITUATION, STATE
• GREEN: TOLERATE: BEAR, HANDLE, STAND, WEATHER
• BLUE: WORD SHORTENINGS, OFTEN: ABBREVIATION, CONTRACTION, ELISION, NICKNAME
• PURPLE: WORDS MADE USING U.S. POSTAL ABBREVIATIONS: ALKYLAMIDE, CALAMARI, MANDARIN, MELAMINE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

Living and growing up outside of the US put me at a disadvantage for today’s purple group — although I am still not sure I would have seen it even if I was based in the States. Kudos if you did.

I managed to get through without making any mistakes, but this was one of those games where I got by on hunches and luck and never had a strong hold on what the group categories might be.

ELISION was a word that I had not heard of before, but ABBREVIATION, CONTRACTION and NICKNAME all seemed to go together, so I took a chance. I have since discovered that it means “omission of one or more sounds, vowels, consonants, or whole syllables from a word or phrase to make speech faster and easier". Yes folks, it’s a good ‘un.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, October 11, 2026, game #1218)

• YELLOW: PUT TO USE: APPLY, HARNESS, UTILIZE, WIELD
• GREEN: MONTHLY BILLS: CABLE, ELECTRICITY, INTERNET, PHONE
• BLUE: THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT: GLOVES, ICE SCRAPER, MAP, REGISTRATION
• PURPLE: ENDING IN GAMBITS: EMPLOY, PATRICK, PERUSE, SYNTACTIC

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 #1218) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• HARNESS
• MAP
• PERUSE
• PHONE
• GLOVES
• CABLE
• APPLY
• PATRICK
• ELECTRICITY
• WIELD
• ICE SCRAPER
• UTILIZE
• EMPLOY
• REGISTRATION
• SYNTACTIC
• INTERNET

NYT Connections today (game #1218) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Deploy
• GREEN: Paid off 12 times a year
• BLUE: Hidden in your car
• PURPLE: Final risks

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 #1218) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PUT TO USE
• GREEN: MONTHLY BILLS
• BLUE: THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT
• PURPLE: ENDING IN GAMBITS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1218) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1218, are…

• YELLOW: PUT TO USE: APPLY, HARNESS, UTILIZE, WIELD
• GREEN: MONTHLY BILLS: CABLE, ELECTRICITY, INTERNET, PHONE
• BLUE: THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT: GLOVES, ICE SCRAPER, MAP, REGISTRATION
• PURPLE: ENDING IN GAMBITS: EMPLOY, PATRICK, PERUSE, SYNTACTIC

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

Congratulations if you saw ploy, trick, ruse, and tactic at the end of the four purple tiles.

This wasn’t the only thing that passed me by today.

After successfully getting the four utilities that made up MONTHLY BILLS and the THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT (I’d add a pack of mints, cheap sunglasses and a scrap of paper with an unknown phone number on it) I floundered over the yellow group, as I was convinced EMPLOY was one of the four.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, October 10, 2026, game #1217)

• YELLOW: USEFUL WHEN WRITING A PAPER: DRAFT, NOTES, OUTLINE, THESIS
• GREEN: PRESUME: FIGURE, GATHER, IMAGINE, SUPPOSE
• BLUE: SOCIAL MEDIA SECTIONS: FEED, MESSAGES, NOTIFICATIONS, PROFILE
• PURPLE: ___BOXING: BEAT, KICK, SHADOW, UN

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 #1217) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• OUTLINE
• SHADOW
• FEED
• FIGURE
• DRAFT
• IMAGINE
• KICK
• NOTIFICATIONS
• GATHER
• NOTES
• UN
• MESSAGES
• BEAT
• SUPPOSE
• PROFILE
• THESIS

NYT Connections today (game #1217) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Steps to creating written work
• GREEN: Dr Livingstone, I…
• BLUE: Online life
• PURPLE: Add a fighting word

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 #1217) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: USEFUL WHEN WRITING A PAPER
• GREEN: PRESUME
• BLUE: SOCIAL MEDIA SECTIONS
• PURPLE: ___BOXING

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

NYT Connections today (game #1217) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1217, are…

• YELLOW: USEFUL WHEN WRITING A PAPER: DRAFT, NOTES, OUTLINE, THESIS
• GREEN: PRESUME: FIGURE, GATHER, IMAGINE, SUPPOSE
• BLUE: SOCIAL MEDIA SECTIONS: FEED, MESSAGES, NOTIFICATIONS, PROFILE
• PURPLE: ___BOXING: BEAT, KICK, SHADOW, UN

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t — and in my case I nearly always don’t — but today I saw the Purple First within seconds of surveying all of the tiles.

Having said that, it did take me a little while to get to the 'UN' of UNBOXING, as I was reading it as the abbreviation of the United Nations.

From here, the next two groups felt pretty straightforward. Today, it was the green quartet that went over my head.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, October 9, 2026, game #1216)

• YELLOW: DECISIVE VICTORY: BLOWOUT, ROMP, ROUT, SWEEP
• GREEN: CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE: CHANNEL, INPUT, POWER, VOLUME
• BLUE: FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW: HIGHLIGHTS, RECAP, SCORES, STATS
• PURPLE: AIR ____: CONDITIONER, GUITAR, KISS, QUOTES

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 #1216) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• POWER
• GUITAR
• CONDITIONER
• VOLUME
• BLOWOUT
• KISS
• SWEEP
• HIGHLIGHTS
• SCORES
• QUOTES
• INPUT
• STATS
• CHANNEL
• ROMP
• RECAP
• ROUT

NYT Connections today (game #1216) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Overwhelming triumph
• GREEN: Zapper buttons
• BLUE: As seen during big game coverage
• PURPLE: Begin with a word that rhymes with “fair”

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 #1216) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DECISIVE VICTORY
• GREEN: CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE
• BLUE: FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW
• PURPLE: AIR ____

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

NYT Connections today (game #1216) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1216, are…

• YELLOW: DECISIVE VICTORY: BLOWOUT, ROMP, ROUT, SWEEP
• GREEN: CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE: CHANNEL, INPUT, POWER, VOLUME
• BLUE: FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW: HIGHLIGHTS, RECAP, SCORES, STATS
• PURPLE: AIR ____: CONDITIONER, GUITAR, KISS, QUOTES

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

The words HIGHLIGHTS, VOLUME, CONDITIONER and BLOWOUT immediately made me think of hair, so with little thought I bundled them together.

My second mistake was less reckless and on the right track for FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW — I had QUOTES instead of RECAP, I was thinking about interviews with athletes and coaches.

From here, I got home without difficulty, although I did kick myself that I’d missed AIR ______ which on review of all four categories post-game seemed the most gettable despite being the so-called hardest.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, October 8, 2026, game #1215)

• YELLOW: FOLLOWS, AS RULES: HEEDS, MINDS, REGARDS, RESPECTS
• GREEN: OUTDO: BEST, ECLIPSE, SURPASS, TOP
• BLUE: THINGS THAT COME IN THREES: CHEERS, STOOGES, STRIKES, WISHES
• PURPLE: ENDING IN ACTORS NAMED TOM: AUTOCRUISE, FOOLHARDY, MULHOLLAND, THANKS

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 #1215) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FOOLHARDY
• MINDS
• THANKS
• STOOGES
• BEST
• WISHES
• REGARDS
• ECLIPSE
• CHEERS
• MULHOLLAND
• RESPECTS
• STRIKES
• TOP
• AUTOCRUISE
• HEEDS
• SURPASS

NYT Connections today (game #1215) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Abide by laws
• GREEN: At your peak
• BLUE: Famous trios
• PURPLE: Ending with Hollywood Thomases

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 #1215) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FOLLOWS, AS RULES
• GREEN: OUTDO
• BLUE: THINGS THAT COME IN THREES
• PURPLE: ENDING IN ACTORS NAMED TOM

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

NYT Connections today (game #1215) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1215, are…

• YELLOW: FOLLOWS, AS RULES: HEEDS, MINDS, REGARDS, RESPECTS
• GREEN: OUTDO: BEST, ECLIPSE, SURPASS, TOP
• BLUE: THINGS THAT COME IN THREES: CHEERS, STOOGES, STRIKES, WISHES
• PURPLE: ENDING IN ACTORS NAMED TOM: AUTOCRUISE, FOOLHARDY, MULHOLLAND, THANKS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

A scrappy game, but one that ultimately resulted in triumph, once I'd made a breakthrough by getting a single group correct.

Before that, I fell into the trap of thinking that we were looking for a group made up of greetings and salutations, so wasted three mistakes chopping and changing between REGARDS, RESPECTS, BEST, CHEERS, WISHES and THANKS.

I finally stopped my fall after realizing that AUTOCRUISE and FOOLHARDY might be hiding famous Toms, although it took me a while to get to the Hanks in THANKS.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, October 7, 2026, game #1214)

• YELLOW: SAVE FOR LATER: BANK, SQUIRREL, STASH, STORE
• GREEN: KINDS OF BUNS: CINNAMON, HAMBURGER, HOT DOG, STICKY
• BLUE: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES: DICHOTOMY, MONOLOGUE, TETRACYCLINE, TRIDENT
• PURPLE: BEST _____ TONY AWARDS: CHOREOGRAPHY, MUSICAL, ORCHESTRATIONS, PLAY

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 #1214) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MUSICAL
• CINNAMON
• TRIDENT
• HOT DOG
• STICKY
• SQUIRREL
• MONOLOGUE
• PLAY
• BANK
• DICHOTOMY
• HAMBURGER
• STORE
• CHOREOGRAPHY
• STASH
• ORCHESTRATIONS
• TETRACYCLINE

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Hide it away for later
• GREEN: Types of bread roll
• BLUE: Ancient numerals
• PURPLE: Stage honors

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 #1214) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SAVE FOR LATER
• GREEN: KINDS OF BUNS
• BLUE: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES
• PURPLE: BEST _____ TONY AWARDS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1214) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1214, are…

• YELLOW: SAVE FOR LATER: BANK, SQUIRREL, STASH, STORE
• GREEN: KINDS OF BUNS: CINNAMON, HAMBURGER, HOT DOG, STICKY
• BLUE: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES: DICHOTOMY, MONOLOGUE, TETRACYCLINE, TRIDENT
• PURPLE: BEST _____ TONY AWARDS: CHOREOGRAPHY, MUSICAL, ORCHESTRATIONS, PLAY

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I decided to play this game a little differently from normal and instead of roaring headlong into guessing groups, I took it slowly and made some notes for each tile.

I am not entirely sure it helped me to achieve a better result — for TRIDENT, I wrote “chewing gum, weapon, mythology", which missed the fact that it was one of the four tiles featuring GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES.

I did get close with the four purple tiles; my note was “something to do with stages”, but I lacked the conviction to connect them and claim a Purple First. If only I'd saved the yellow group for later.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, October 6, 2026, game #1213)

• YELLOW: FINANCIAL FIRMS, FOR SHORT: BERKSHIRE, CITI, GOLDMAN, MERRILL
• GREEN: KINDS OF CHAIRS: ADIRONDACK, EAMES, WINDSOR, WINGBACK
• BLUE: INN HOTELS: COMFORT, DAYS, HAMPTON, HOLIDAY
• PURPLE: ENDING IN TALENTS: CATSKILL, KNICKKNACK, PIANOFORTE, STABILITY

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 #1213) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ADIRONDACK
• KNICKKNACK
• CATSKILL
• HOLIDAY
• COMFORT
• BERKSHIRE
• STABILITY
• HAMPTON
• WINDSOR
• MERRILL
• WINGBACK
• DAYS
• CITI
• PIANOFORTE
• EAMES
• GOLDMAN

NYT Connections today (game #1213) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Wall Street mobs
• GREEN: Famous for sitting on
• BLUE: Chains where you can stay
• PURPLE: End with something you are good at

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 #1213) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FINANCIAL FIRMS, FOR SHORT
• GREEN: KINDS OF CHAIRS
• BLUE: INN HOTELS
• PURPLE: ENDING IN TALENTS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1213) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1213, are…

• YELLOW: FINANCIAL FIRMS, FOR SHORT: BERKSHIRE, CITI, GOLDMAN, MERRILL
• GREEN: KINDS OF CHAIRS: ADIRONDACK, EAMES, WINDSOR, WINGBACK
• BLUE: INN HOTELS: COMFORT, DAYS, HAMPTON, HOLIDAY
• PURPLE: ENDING IN TALENTS: CATSKILL, KNICKKNACK, PIANOFORTE, STABILITY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I was on the right track with today’s green and blue groups, but it took me multiple attempts to get both right.

I knew that EAMES and WINGBACK were famous chairs and took a guess with the other two tiles after initially trying BERKSHIRE and then MERRILL. Then, for INN HOTELS, I had DAYS, COMFORT and HOLIDAY locked in but couldn’t decide on the fourth with Hilton offshoot HAMPTON passing me by.

I also blanked on the financial firms that made up the yellow group, but fortunately saved myself by spotting the four tiles ENDING IN TALENTS. I certainly have a talent for making Connections hard for myself.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, October 5, 2026, game #1212)

• YELLOW: CALM: CONTENT, PEACEFUL, PLACID, SERENE
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR MATURE CONTENT: EXPLICIT, GRAPHIC, STRONG, SUGGESTIVE
• BLUE: KINDS OF BOARDS: ADVISORY, CHESS, IRONING, MESSAGE
• PURPLE: ENDING IN WAYS TO TEMPORARILY ACQUIRE: PARENT, PLEASE, SAPPHIRE, SLOAN

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 #1212) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PARENT
• ADVISORY
• EXPLICIT
• CONTENT
• CHESS
• PLEASE
• MESSAGE
• GRAPHIC
• STRONG
• SAPPHIRE
• SUGGESTIVE
• SERENE
• PEACEFUL
• IRONING
• SLOAN
• PLACID

NYT Connections today (game #1212) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Relaxed contentment
• GREEN: Adult warnings
• BLUE: A stiff word in common
• PURPLE: You can’t own these hidden words

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 #1212) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CALM
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR MATURE CONTENT
• BLUE: KINDS OF BOARDS
• PURPLE: ENDING IN WAYS TO TEMPORARILY ACQUIRE

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

NYT Connections today (game #1212) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1212, are…

• YELLOW: CALM: CONTENT, PEACEFUL, PLACID, SERENE
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR MATURE CONTENT: EXPLICIT, GRAPHIC, STRONG, SUGGESTIVE
• BLUE: KINDS OF BOARDS: ADVISORY, CHESS, IRONING, MESSAGE
• PURPLE: ENDING IN WAYS TO TEMPORARILY ACQUIRE: PARENT, PLEASE, SAPPHIRE, SLOAN

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Back in the 1990s many hip-hop albums — or at least those that were deemed dangerous — carried PARENT ADVISORY stickers on them warning parents and carers of the contents of their children’s record store purchases. Naturally, like all warnings it backfired and the stickers helped sales of these so-called offensive products rather than leading to wholesome blasphemy- and cursing-free music.

I mention this because seeing PARENT, ADVISORY, GRAPHIC and MESSAGE I came close to building a group honoring that strange moment in pop-culture history.

Having said that, I was almost on the right track with the green group of ADJECTIVES FOR MATURE CONTENT.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, October 4, 2026, game #1211)

• YELLOW: CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT: BUNCH, HEAP, LOT, STACK
• GREEN: TABLE TENNIS NEEDS: BALL, NET, PADDLE, TABLE
• BLUE: PARTS OF A JUDGE COSTUME: COLLAR, GAVEL, ROBE, WIG
• PURPLE: SILENT ____: AUCTION, FILM, PARTNER, TREATMENT

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 #1211) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• WIG
• FILM
• AUCTION
• TABLE
• PADDLE
• COLLAR
• GAVEL
• LOT
• BUNCH
• BALL
• PARTNER
• NET
• ROBE
• HEAP
• TREATMENT
• STACK

NYT Connections today (game #1211) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A pile of things
• GREEN: Ping pong equipment
• BLUE: All rise
• PURPLE: Begin with a noiseless word

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 #1211) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT
• GREEN: TABLE TENNIS NEEDS
• BLUE: PARTS OF A JUDGE COSTUME
• PURPLE: SILENT ____

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

NYT Connections today (game #1211) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1211, are…

• YELLOW: CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT: BUNCH, HEAP, LOT, STACK
• GREEN: TABLE TENNIS NEEDS: BALL, NET, PADDLE, TABLE
• BLUE: PARTS OF A JUDGE COSTUME: COLLAR, GAVEL, ROBE, WIG
• PURPLE: SILENT ____: AUCTION, FILM, PARTNER, TREATMENT

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

In the UK we call a PADDLE a bat, a cultural difference that slowed me down a little and meant that I began with a group I was more certain about.

The four tiles of PARTS OF A JUDGE COSTUME seem very odd to me — that one of the most important and respected roles in society involves people wearing a WIG and using something called a GAVEL. Frankly, it’d make just as much sense if you had to wear a wig and GOWN to play table tennis.

The real annoyance of today was missing a very gettable purple group. Kudos, if you spotted it — I got too hung up on thinking AUCTION was a red herring because it matched with LOT and ended up ignoring other possible connections.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, October 3, 2026, game #1210)

• YELLOW: STARTING WITH TERMS FOR "TOILET": CAN OPENER, HEAD WAITER, JOHN DENVER, W.C. FIELDS
• GREEN: ENDING IN MUSICALS: ELBOW GREASE, FAT CATS, LINDA HAMILTON, SOMETHING WICKED
• BLUE: STARTING WITH U.S. MUSEUMS: BROAD BEAN, GETTY IMAGES, MET HALFWAY, WHITNEY HOUSTON
• PURPLE: ENDING IN FANTASY CREATURES: DIET SPRITE, MERV GRIFFIN, NY GIANT, RIVER PHOENIX

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 #1210) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• WHITNEY HOUSTON
• LINDA HAMILTON
• RIVER PHOENIX
• JOHN DENVER
• GETTY IMAGES
• ELBOW GREASE
• CAN OPENER
• SOMETHING
• WICKED
• FAT CATS
• HEAD WAITER
• MERV GRIFFIN
• BROAD BEAN
• NY GIANT
• MET HALFWAY
• W.C. FIELDS
• DIET SPRITE

NYT Connections today (game #1210) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Begin with a trip to the loo
• GREEN: A sing-a-long ending
• BLUE: Know your history for starters
• PURPLE: Hiding mythical beasts

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 #1210) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: STARTING WITH TERMS FOR "TOILET"
• GREEN: ENDING IN MUSICALS
• BLUE: STARTING WITH U.S. MUSEUMS
• PURPLE: ENDING IN FANTASY CREATURES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1210) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1210, are…

• YELLOW: STARTING WITH TERMS FOR "TOILET": CAN OPENER, HEAD WAITER, JOHN DENVER, W.C. FIELDS
• GREEN: ENDING IN MUSICALS: ELBOW GREASE, FAT CATS, LINDA HAMILTON, SOMETHING WICKED
• BLUE: STARTING WITH U.S. MUSEUMS: BROAD BEAN, GETTY IMAGES, MET HALFWAY, WHITNEY HOUSTON
• PURPLE: ENDING IN FANTASY CREATURES: DIET SPRITE, MERV GRIFFIN, NY GIANT, RIVER PHOENIX

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I am always thrown by slightly different Connections tiles and today was no different with its baffling selection of two-word options.

Things got more confusing, for me at least, after a potential North American cities thread of WHITNEY HOUSTON, LINDA HAMILTON, RIVER PHOENIX, and JOHN DENVER turned out to be a dead end. I wasn’t certain about Hamilton, but there is a city called that in Ohio.

The WC in WC FIELDS was the tile that unlocked the game for me and from here I cobbled my way through, although when it came to the final eight tiles it was more by luck than judgement that I didn’t make another mistake. A tough one.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, October 2, 2026, game #1209)

• YELLOW: FINANCE: BACK, BANKROLL, FUND, SUPPORT
• GREEN: FINGERS: INDEX, LITTLE, MIDDLE, RING
• BLUE: CUSTOMARY: COMMON, ROUTINE, STANDARD, STOCK
• PURPLE: PRIME_____: NUMBER, REAL ESTATE, RIB, TIME

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 #1209) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• LITTLE
• REAL ESTATE
• COMMON
• RING
• INDEX
• FUND
• BANKROLL
• RIB
• STANDARD
• MIDDLE
• STOCK
• SUPPORT
• BACK
• NUMBER
• ROUTINE
• TIMER

NYT Connections today (game #1209) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Put some money behind it
• GREEN: Digits
• BLUE: Pretty ordinary
• PURPLE: Begin with a word that rhymes with “rhyme”

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 #1209) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FINANCE
• GREEN: FINGERS
• BLUE: CUSTOMARY
• PURPLE: PRIME_____

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

NYT Connections today (game #1209) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1209, are…

• YELLOW: FINANCE: BACK, BANKROLL, FUND, SUPPORT
• GREEN: FINGERS: INDEX, LITTLE, MIDDLE, RING
• BLUE: CUSTOMARY: COMMON, ROUTINE, STANDARD, STOCK
• PURPLE: PRIME_____: NUMBER, REAL ESTATE, RIB, TIME

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Whenever there is a very easy game of Connections I am always left with regret that I did not slow down and play more tactically.

Unfortunately I cannot help myself and blitz through the groups as I discover them, which today meant getting green first instead of a coveted purple first.

That said, despite the simplicity of this game there was a little red herring that almost caught me out, with STOCK, INDEX and FUND all being about financial trading.

Kudos if you took care and spotted PRIME____.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, October 1, 2026, game #1208)

• YELLOW: PUT: PLACE, POSITION, SITUATE, STICK
• GREEN: DRESS SHIRT MEASUREMENTS: CHEST, NECK, SLEEVE, WAIST
• BLUE: 2000S INDIE ROCK BANDS, WITH "THE": DECEMBERISTS, NATIONAL, SHINS, WALKMEN
• PURPLE: STARTS OF NYT PRINT PUZZLES: ACRO, CROSS, KEN, SUD

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 #1208) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• NATIONAL
• KEN
• NECK
• SHINS
• ACRO
• STICK
• WAIST
• WALKMEN
• SITUATE
• SLEEVE
• CROSS
• PLACE
• SUD
• POSITION
• CHEST
• DECEMBERISTS

NYT Connections today (game #1208) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Manoeuvre into a spot where it belongs
• GREEN: Required for sharp dressing
• BLUE: Alt rock with something missing
• PURPLE: A puzzling beginning

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 #1208) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PUT
• GREEN: DRESS SHIRT MEASUREMENTS
• BLUE: 2000S INDIE ROCK BANDS, WITH "THE"
• PURPLE: STARTS OF NYT PRINT PUZZLES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1208) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1208, are…

• YELLOW: PUT: PLACE, POSITION, SITUATE, STICK
• GREEN: DRESS SHIRT MEASUREMENTS: CHEST, NECK, SLEEVE, WAIST
• BLUE: 2000S INDIE ROCK BANDS, WITH "THE": DECEMBERISTS, NATIONAL, SHINS, WALKMEN
• PURPLE: STARTS OF NYT PRINT PUZZLES: ACRO, CROSS, KEN, SUD

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

NYT got very meta with today’s purple group, with an online game paying homage to the NYT's offline games. I’m ashamed to say it flew over my head.

Instead, I was focused on the appearance of one of my favorite bands of all time in Connections, The NATIONAL, alongside three other equally highly regarded bands which made it into 2000s INDIE ROCK BANDS, WITH "THE". Even though the majority of music I like could be described as “indie rock” I find genre names cringe, but it’s not a hill I’m willing to die on, or even suffer a mild ankle sprain on, so I’ll let it go.

Anyway, I digress… Fortunately, with that purple group not registering, DRESS SHIRT MEASUREMENTS and PUT were both easy to collect

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, September 30, 2026, game #1207)

• YELLOW: SECURITIES: BOND, FUTURE, OPTION, STOCK
• GREEN: THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED): ETCH A SKETCH, MARTINI, SPRAY PAINT, TAMBOURINE
• BLUE: GANGSTER MOVIES: BUGSY, CASINO, DONNIE BRASCO, SCARFACE
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS: DECENT, NOVELTY, OCTOPUSSY, SEPTUM

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 #1207) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TAMBOURINE
• SEPTUM
• DECENT
• BOND
• MARTINI
• OPTION
• NOVELTY
• CASINO
• SPRAY PAINT
• OCTOPUSSY
• DONNIE BRASCO
• FUTURE
• BUGSY
• ETCH A SKETCH
• STOCK
• SCARFACE

NYT Connections today (game #1207) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Trading terms
• GREEN: Shake it up
• BLUE: Mobster films
• PURPLE: Hidden calendar

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 #1207) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SECURITIES
• GREEN: THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED)
• BLUE: GANGSTER MOVIES
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1207) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1207, are…

• YELLOW: SECURITIES: BOND, FUTURE, OPTION, STOCK
• GREEN: THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN (NOT STIRRED): ETCH A SKETCH, MARTINI, SPRAY PAINT, TAMBOURINE
• BLUE: GANGSTER MOVIES: BUGSY, CASINO, DONNIE BRASCO, SCARFACE
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS: DECENT, NOVELTY, OCTOPUSSY, SEPTUM

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

007 was today’s red herring, with tiles for BOND, OCTOPUSSY and MARTINI, although his fussy cocktail instruction did end up being the green groups connection, in which the appearance of the ETCH A SKETCH a toy from the pre computer age may have confused some.

I did fear that the four GANGSTER MOVIES would be a trick too, as it seemed too obvious a grouping or that I was missing a more significant reason for why they were collected together.

With eight tiles left I made my only mistake, although I was on the right track with STARTING WITH MONTH ABBREVIATIONS as I included MARTINI (as in Mar for March) instead of SEPTUM.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, September 29, 2026, game #1206)

• YELLOW: SECLUDED: HIDDEN, REMOTE, SECRET, TUCKED AWAY
• GREEN: RIVER FEATURES: DELTA, DRAINAGE BASIN, MOUTH, STREAM BED
• BLUE: FIRST WORDS OF PIXAR FILMS: FINDING, INSIDE, MONSTERS, TOY
• PURPLE: PHRASES HIDING GREEK LETTERS: FREEZE TAG, HOME GAME, MODEL TANK, ORAL PHASE

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 #1206) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DELTA
• HIDDEN
• INSIDE
• MODEL TANK
• MONSTERS
• FINDING
• SECRET
• TOY
• FREEZE TAG
• ORAL PHASE
• MOUTH
• REMOTE
• STREAM BED
• TUCKED AWAY
• HOME GAME
• DRAINAGE BASIN

NYT Connections today (game #1206) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Private cabin
• GREEN: Water geography
• BLUE: Start of animated classics
• PURPLE: Look for hidden ancient alphabet

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 #1206) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SECLUDED
• GREEN: RIVER FEATURES
• BLUE: FIRST WORDS OF PIXAR FILMS
• PURPLE: PHRASES HIDING GREEK LETTERS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1206) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1206, are…

• YELLOW: SECLUDED: HIDDEN, REMOTE, SECRET, TUCKED AWAY
• GREEN: RIVER FEATURES: DELTA, DRAINAGE BASIN, MOUTH, STREAM BED
• BLUE: FIRST WORDS OF PIXAR FILMS: FINDING, INSIDE, MONSTERS, TOY
• PURPLE: PHRASES HIDING GREEK LETTERS: FREEZE TAG, HOME GAME, MODEL TANK, ORAL PHASE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I might have got PHRASES HIDING GREEK LETTERS eventually, but thankfully I didn’t need to.

Instead, the FIRST WORDS OF PIXAR FILMS jumped out at me immediately. I loved the early Pixar films, back when they were a rare treat — there was three years between Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. Monsters Inc is also the film I have seen the most due to being the parent of a child who was obsessed with Sully and Mike and still uses the phrase “put that thing back where it came from or so God help me” on an almost daily basis.

RIVER FEATURES was my second group, although I was less confident including DRAINAGE BASIN than the other three tiles and momentarily worried that I was missing out on a plumbing group.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, September 28, 2026, game #1205)

• YELLOW: THINGS WITH STALKS: BAMBOO, CELERY, CORN, WHEAT
• GREEN: OYSTER CONDIMENTS: HORSERADISH, LEMON, MIGNONETTE, TABASCO
• BLUE: DODGE MODELS: CHALLENGER, CHARGER, DURANGO, VIPER
• PURPLE: THREE LETTERS PLUS REPEATED TRIGRAMS: ARKANSANS, CHIHUAHUA, POSSESSES, SPRINGING

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 #1205) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CHIHUAHUA
• LEMON
• VIPER
• BAMBOO
• CELERY
• TABASCO
• ARKANSANS
• DURANGO
• SPRINGING
• CHARGER
• HORSERADISH
• WHEAT
• POSSESSES
• MIGNONETTE
• CORN
• CHALLENGER

NYT Connections today (game #1205) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Stick up plants
• GREEN: Enhance your seafood with these
• BLUE: Types of car
• PURPLE: Triple trouble

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 #1205) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: THINGS WITH STALKS
• GREEN: OYSTER CONDIMENTS
• BLUE: DODGE MODELS
• PURPLE: THREE LETTERS PLUS REPEATED TRIGRAMS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1205) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1205, are…

• YELLOW: THINGS WITH STALKS: BAMBOO, CELERY, CORN, WHEAT
• GREEN: OYSTER CONDIMENTS: HORSERADISH, LEMON, MIGNONETTE, TABASCO
• BLUE: DODGE MODELS: CHALLENGER, CHARGER, DURANGO, VIPER
• PURPLE: THREE LETTERS PLUS REPEATED TRIGRAMS: ARKANSANS, CHIHUAHUA, POSSESSES, SPRINGING

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I have never actually had a Bloody Mary, but I managed to convince myself that CELERY, TABASCO, HORSERADISH and LEMON were all things that you would add to vodka and tomato juice.

Fortunately I soon corrected my error after thinking what CELERY might have in common with some of the other tiles.

The next two groups were put together on hunches — I had no idea about DODGE MODELS, but thought that CHALLENGER, CHARGER, DURANGO and VIPER all sounded like macho names for cars. Finally, I took a gamble that MIGNONETTE was a foodstuff (I now know it’s a type of vinegar) and lumped it in with the other OYSTER CONDIMENTS; I’m a purist myself.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, September 27, 2026, game #1204)

• YELLOW: SCULPTURE MEDIA: BRONZE, CLAY, MARBLE, PLASTER
• GREEN: RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS: BANQUETTE, BOOTH, CHAIR, STOOL
• BLUE: TELECOM: CARRIER, NETWORK, OPERATOR, PROVIDER
• PURPLE: ENDING IN CHINESE DYNASTIES: BBQING, HOMING, LOHAN, WU-TANG

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 #1204) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• WU-TANG
• CARRIER
• HOMING
• BOOTH
• STOOL
• MARBLE
• BBQING
• OPERATOR
• CLAY
• BANQUETTE
• NETWORK
• CHAIR
• LOHAN
• BRONZE
• PROVIDER
• PLASTER

NYT Connections today (game #1204) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Statue materials
• GREEN: Sit to eat
• BLUE: Phone energy
• PURPLE: The end for hereditary rulers

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 #1204) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SCULPTURE MEDIA
• GREEN: RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS
• BLUE: TELECOM
• PURPLE: ENDING IN CHINESE DYNASTIES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1204) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1204, are…

• YELLOW: SCULPTURE MEDIA: BRONZE, CLAY, MARBLE, PLASTER
• GREEN: RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS: BANQUETTE, BOOTH, CHAIR, STOOL
• BLUE: TELECOM: CARRIER, NETWORK, OPERATOR, PROVIDER
• PURPLE: ENDING IN CHINESE DYNASTIES: BBQING, HOMING, LOHAN, WU-TANG

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The NYT gives us a relaxing end to the weekend with a simple controversy-free game.

It’s hard to see any red herrings in this game, although I did waste some time wondering if Lindsey LOHAN had any connections to the WU-TANG Clan — maybe she has 36 chambers at home, or perhaps she used to work at a gravel pit?

I began with RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS, as it contains one of my favorite words — and the seating option everyone would plump for given the choice — the BANQUETTE. The STOOL, on the other hand, is something you’d only select if you had no other pick or if your name was Arthur Fonzarelli.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, September 26, 2026, game #1203)

• YELLOW: BREATH FRESHENERS: GUM, MINT, MOUTHWASH, SPRAY
• GREEN: THINGS DONE TO A DRESS SHIRT AT THE LAUNDRY: FOLD, PRESS, STARCH, WASH
• BLUE: FEATURES OF WOOD: BURL, GRAIN, KNOTS, RINGS
• PURPLE: "COOL" THINGS, IN EXPRESSIONS: BEANS, CAT, CUCUMBER, CUSTOMER

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 #1203) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MINT
• PRESS
• GRAIN
• BEANS
• STARCH
• CAT
• CUCUMBER
• RINGS
• GUM
• FOLD
• KNOTS
• CUSTOMER
• WASH
• MOUTHWASH
• BURL
• SPRAY

NYT Connections today (game #1203) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Oral hygiene methods
• GREEN: Stages of attire care
• BLUE: Timber markings
• PURPLE: The opposite of hot stuff

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 #1203) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: BREATH FRESHENERS
• GREEN: THINGS DONE TO A DRESS SHIRT AT THE LAUNDRY
• BLUE: FEATURES OF WOOD
• PURPLE: "COOL" THINGS, IN EXPRESSIONS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1203) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1203, are…

• YELLOW: BREATH FRESHENERS: GUM, MINT, MOUTHWASH, SPRAY
• GREEN: THINGS DONE TO A DRESS SHIRT AT THE LAUNDRY: FOLD, PRESS, STARCH, WASH
• BLUE: FEATURES OF WOOD: BURL, GRAIN, KNOTS, RINGS
• PURPLE: "COOL" THINGS, IN EXPRESSIONS: BEANS, CAT, CUCUMBER, CUSTOMER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today I scored another Purple First to add to my collection.

Whenever I see the word CAT I immediately think of the word cool, as it’s an expression that’s always amused me in part because of the song Cool For Cats by Squeeze and equally because of Top Cat, my favorite cartoon as a kid.

From here I just said the word cool to myself in front of every tile. Fortunately, I had the office to myself as I did this, so I was able to maintain my reputation as a cool CUSTOMER.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, September 25, 2026, game #1202)

• YELLOW: LUXE: BOUGIE, FANCY, POSH, SWANK
• GREEN: PARTS OF A MECHANICAL CLOCK: ESCAPEMENT, PENDULUM, RATCHET, SPRING
• BLUE: FAMOUS DANS: AYKROYD, LEVY, RATHER, SAVAGE
• PURPLE: TAXONOMIC RANKS PLUS A LETTER: BORDER, CLASSY, FOAMILY, GENIUS

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.