Can’t figure out the themes uniting the words in today’s Connections grid? Let us help you out. As you scroll down, you’ll see some general hints as points. Then, we’ll reveal one word from each group, followed by the list of themes. Finally, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. So, let’s dive into all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,222, October 15, 2026).
Read Also: How to remove the Google search bar from your Samsung phone’s home page
In This Article
What is Connections?
The New York Times has a thriving online word game section, with Connections being the second-most-played title behind the crown jewel, Wordle. The rules of this game are simple – you need to find 4 groups comprising 4 words each in a 16-word grid. The words in each group are united by a common theme. The Yellow group is the easiest one to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple (toughest). Sometimes, there are red herrings and misdirects in the grid to throw you off your game, so don’t take your thinking cap off at any time! Ready to lock in? You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Here’s your grid for today
- SMOKE
- BASKET
- DRY
- FOOT
- VOLLEY
- CANNON
- RUN
- PICKLE
- BASE
- GOAL
- FORGE
- FOUNDATION
- CURE
- RACINE
- BOTTOM
- TOUCHDOWN
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,222) October 15, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Methods to make sure that meat doesn’t go bad.
- 🟢Green Group: Equivalent to a point.
- 🔵Blue Group: Substructure.
- 🟣Purple Group: Depression in land.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cure.
- 🟢Green Group: Basket.
- 🔵Blue Group: Base.
- 🟣Purple Group: Cannon.
List of Themes (Major Spoilers)
Maybe getting to know the common themes among the words will help you spot them faster. Here are all the categories for today.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Ways To Preserve Food.
- 🟢Green Group: Things You Can Score In Sports.
- 🔵Blue Group: Lowest Part.
- 🟣Purple Group: Low Landforms With A Letter Changed.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,222) Today (October 15, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cure, Dry, Pickle, Smoke. (Ways To Preserve Food)
These are some of the traditional ways to make sure that your food doesn’t go bad.
- 🟢Green Group: Basket, Goal, Run, Touchdown. (Things You Can Score In Sports)
Basket (Basketball). Goal (Football). Run (Cricket). Touchdown (American football).
- 🔵Blue Group: Base, Bottom, Foot, Foundation. (Lowest Part)
These words can be used to refer to the lowest part of a structure or body.
- 🟣Purple Group: Cannon, Forge, Racine, Volley. (Low Landforms With A Letter Changed)
Cannon (Canyon). Forge (Gorge). Racine (Ravine). Volley (Valley).
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,221, October 14, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Flicker, Suggestion, Trace, Whiff. (Hint)
- 🟢Green Group: Serve, Slice, Smash, Volley. (Tennis Shots)
- 🔵Blue Group: Flash, Hulk, Punisher, Thing. (Superheroes, With ‘The’)
- 🟣Purple Group: Feed, Fiery, Foment, Fumble. (Starting With Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,220 (October 13, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Eye, Flair, Sense, Taste. (Discernment)
- 🟢Green Group: Hitch, Lash, Tether, Tie. (Fasten)
- 🔵Blue Group: Belt, Cup, Jacket, Ring. (Sport Championship Prizes)
- 🟣Purple Group: Cannon, Change, Ends, Lips. (Loose ___)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,219 (October 12, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Condition, Shape, Situation, State. (Status)
- 🟢Green Group: Bear, Handle, Stand, Weather. (Tolerate)
- 🔵Blue Group: Abbreviation, Contraction, Elision, Nickname. (Word Shortenings, Often)
- 🟣Purple Group: Alkylamide, Calamari, Mandarin, Melamine. (Words Made Using U.S. Postal Abbreviations)
Read Also: Nester Home Cook Glass Air Fryer Review: Is a See-Through Bowl Worth It? That Is A Hard Yes
How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 2.5 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
.){kind=link}