The Connections grid today is comprised entirely of single-word entries, but it is one of the trickier ones we’ve come across this month. If you’re struggling to get beyond the Yellow category, we’ve put together some general hints for you. Those who need more help can scroll further to view one word from each group and the list of themes. Finally, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. So, without further ado, here are all the hints, clues, and answers to NYT Connections today (#1,229, October 22, 2026).
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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
- MOBILE
- COMFORT
- BLANK
- SAFETY
- RELIEF
- GRIP
- END
- BUST
- HANDLE
- TACKLE
- PILL
- KNOB
- SHE
- GUARD
- HILT
- STATUE
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,229) October 22, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Holding parts.
- 🟢Green Group: Figurines.
- 🔵Blue Group: Positions on the field of a popular American sport.
- 🟣Purple Group: Things found on the bed, unfinished.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Grip.
- 🟢Green Group: Bust.
- 🔵Blue Group: End.
- 🟣Purple Group: Blank.
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: Parts To Be Grasped.
- 🟢Green Group: Kinds Of Sculptures.
- 🔵Blue Group: American Football Positions.
- 🟣Purple Group: Starts Of Bedding.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,229) Today (October 22, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Grip, Handle, Hilt, Knob. (Parts To Be Grasped)
These parts make it easy to hold an object.
- 🟢Green Group: Bust, Mobile, Relief, Statue. (Kinds Of Sculptures)
Bust (Sculpture of head and shoulders). Mobile (Sculpture with moving parts). Relief (Carved, moulded, or layered on a piece). Statue (A sculpture of the entire body).
- 🔵Blue Group: End, Guard, Safety, Tackle. (American Football Positions)
End (Players positioned at the end of the line of scrimmage). Guard (Positioned to the left or right of centre). Safety (Defensive position deep in the field). Tackle (Protects the Quarterback and creates running lanes).
- 🟣Purple Group: Blank, Comfort, Pill, She. (Starts Of Bedding)
Blank(et). Comfort(er). Pill(ow). She(et).
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,228, October 21, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Duck Duck Goose, Hot Potato, Leapfrog, Musical Chairs. (Classic Children’s Games)
- 🟢Green Group: Alpha Dog, Big Cheese, Heavyweight, Top Banana. (Important Person)
- 🔵Blue Group: American Gothic, Campbell’s Soup Can, Sunflowers, The Scream. (Famous Paintings)
- 🟣Purple Group: English Horn, Grape-Nuts, Mantis Shrimp, Sweetbread. (Double Misnomers (Neither Word Is An Accurate Description))
Answers to NYT Connections #1,227 (October 20, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Close, End, Stop, Wrap. (Finish)
- 🟢Green Group: Minion, Poodle, Puppet, Stooge. (Lackey)
- 🔵Blue Group: Chevron, Horseshoe, Pencil, Walrus. (Moustaches)
- 🟣Purple Group: Arial, Bell, Dock, Mini. (Homophones Of Disney Characters)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,226 (October 19, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Boil, Fume, Rave, Steam. (Seethe)
- 🟢Green Group: Blather, Gas, Hot Air, Wind. (All Talk)
- 🔵Blue Group: Flurry, Muffin, Nuggets, Rib. (‘Mc’ Things At McDonald’s)
- 🟣Purple Group: Alibis, Balloon, Escrow, Mohawk. (Ending In Birds)
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How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 3.3 out of 5. This puts it in the hard difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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