Today’s Connections puzzle is a tricky one. We suggest you take a look at the spoiler-free hints we’ve curated for you before submitting your answers. If you need more help, you can scroll further to view one word from each group and the list of themes. The answers and their explanations are mentioned at the end of the page. So, let’s dive into all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today.
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In This Article
What is Connections?
Connections is one of the most popular word games from The New York Times, only trailing behind Wordle. The rules of the game are simple. You are presented with a 16-word grid where you’re supposed to find the entries that share something in common. There are a total of 4 groups, each consisting of 4 words, that you must find. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. Sometimes, there are a couple of red herrings to throw you off and make the puzzle more interesting. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Here’s your grid for today
- HUNGARY
- HUNGRY
- HIPPO
- CHICKEN
- CHIP
- CHAD
- COOLIDGE
- CYRUS
- SPAN
- MARK
- LAOS
- NICK
- PARAGUAY
- SMARTIES
- BULGARI
- SCRATCH
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,223) October 16, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Scuff.
- 🟢Green Group: They have no coastline.
- 🔵Blue Group: Nations without a letter.
- 🟣Purple Group: These entries start with words that mean ‘rad’.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Chip.
- 🟢Green Group: Chad.
- 🔵Blue Group: Bulgari.
- 🟣Purple Group: Chicken.
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: Surface Imperfections.
- 🟢Green Group: Landlocked Countries.
- 🔵Blue Group: European Countries Minus A Letter.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starting With Words For ‘Stylish’.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,223) Today (October 16, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Chip, Mark, Nick, Scratch. (Surface Imperfections)
A scuff or blemish.
- 🟢Green Group: Chad, Hungary, Laos, Paraguay. (Landlocked Countries)
These countries do not have a coastline.
- 🔵Blue Group: Bulgari, Cyrus, Hungry, Span. (European Countries Minus A Letter)
Bulgari(a). Cy(p)rus. Hung(a)ry. Spa(i)n.
- 🟣Purple Group: Chicken, Coolidge, Hippo, Smarties. (Starting With Words For ‘Stylish’)
Chic-ken. Cool-idge. Hip-po. Smart-ies.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,222, October 15, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Cure, Dry, Pickle, Smoke. (Ways To Preserve Food)
- 🟢Green Group: Basket, Goal, Run, Touchdown. (Things You Can Score In Sports)
- 🔵Blue Group: Base, Bottom, Foot, Foundation. (Lowest Part)
- 🟣Purple Group: Cannon, Forge, Racine, Volley. (Low Landforms With A Letter Changed)
Answers to NYT Connections #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 ___)
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How did other solvers do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 3 out of 5. This puts it in the hard difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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