Today’s Connections grid looks like an easy solve, but it may trip some newcomers up. The good news is that we’ve curated some spoiler-free hints for you. Those who need additional help can scroll further to view one word from each category and the list of themes. Finally, the answers and their explanations will be waiting for you at the end of the page. Let’s dive into all the hints, clues, and answers to today’s NYT Connections (#1,233, October 26, 2026).
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In This Article
What is Connections?
After Wordle, Connections is the New York Times’ most popular word game. The rules are simple. You need to find words with a common theme and group them into 4 groups of 4. The 16-word grid is designed with an increasing level of difficulty. The Yellow group is the easiest to spot, followed by Green, Blue, and Purple. The misdirects and red herrings can trip you up, but they also make the puzzle more fun. You can play Connections in the NYT Games app or on the NYT website.
Some tips to solve Connections
Look for the obvious patterns: Not every category in the puzzle is confusing. The Yellow and Green category words are relatively easy to spot. However, if something seems too obvious, it could be a red herring. Typically, the first two categories comprise verbs and adjectives. The misdirects are often nouns.
Double-check your submissions: ‘Do not overthink’ is usually a good tip for solving most puzzles, but it doesn’t really apply to Connections. Before submitting a set of words, you should always check whether they fit somewhere else too.
Hit a dead end? Use the shuffle button: The shuffle button at the bottom of the grid exists for a reason. Placing the words in different positions can spark new connections. Think of it as a mental refresh. New patterns will emerge, and you may be able to find a breakthrough.
Tackle the Purple category with extra caution: The Connections team is known to serve up the toughest and most unexpected words for the Purple category. Here are some of the common tropes that you should look out for:
- Homophones (For example: ‘Where’, ‘Wear’, ‘Ware’, and ‘Weir’)
- Words within words (For example: ‘Slip’, ‘Hear’, ‘Keyes’, and ‘Undiagnosed’ could be ‘Words containing parts of the face’)
- Words minus a letter (For example: ‘Anther’, ‘Easel’, ‘Hark’, and ‘Lama’ could be ‘Animals minus starting letter’)
- Words preceded or followed by another word (For example: ‘Face’, ‘Sports’, ‘Note’, and ‘Year’ could be ‘____ Book’)
Here’s your grid for today
- WELCOME
- HALLOWEEK
- CHILLING
- TOY
- YOGA
- JAWN
- SPORTING
- PRAYER
- PSYCHS
- HOUND
- MANAGING
- WRESTLING
- SAME OLD
- HOSTED
- HERDING
- NOT BAD
Hints for NYT Connections (#1,233) October 26, 2026
Let’s get you started with some general, spoiler-free hints.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Q: How are you doing? A: ‘__’.
- 🟢Green Group: Floor rugs for different purposes.
- 🔵Blue Group: Kinds of dogs.
- 🟣Purple Group: Movie titles belonging to the same genre, with one letter changed.
One Word Per Category (Contains Spoilers)
Can’t seem to find an in? We’ll give you one word from each category.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Chilling.
- 🟢Green Group: Prayer.
- 🔵Blue Group: Herding.
- 🟣Purple Group: Halloweek.
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: Responses To “How Are You?”
- 🟢Green Group: Kinds Of Mats.
- 🔵Blue Group: AKC Dog Breed Groups.
- 🟣Purple Group: Horror Movies With Last Letter Changed.
Answers to NYT Connections (#1,233) Today (October 26, 2026)
Close to waving the white flag? Fine, we’ll give you the answers.
- 🟡Yellow Group: Chilling, Managing, Not Bad, Same Old. (Responses To “How Are You?”)
This one is pretty self-explanatory. These are the usual responses you get when you ask someone how they are doing.
- 🟢Green Group: Prayer, Welcome, Wrestling, Yoga. (Kinds Of Mats)
These mats are used for different kinds of purposes.
- 🔵Blue Group: Herding, Hound, Sporting, Toy. (AKC Dog Breed Groups)
These breeds are recognised by the American Kennel Club.
- 🟣Purple Group: Halloweek. Hosted. Jawn. Psychs. (Horror Movies With Last Letter Changed)
Halloween. Hostel. Jaws. Psycho.
Answers to yesterday’s puzzle (#1,232, October 25, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Boost, Palm, Pocket, Swipe. (Steal)
- 🟢Green Group: Bow Tie, Elbow, Shell, Wagon Wheel. (Pasta Shapes)
- 🔵Blue Group: Ripley, Sawyer, Swift, Thumb. (Fictional Toms)
- 🟣Purple Group: Fingers, Football, Glow Stick, Rubber Band. (Things That Can Be Snapped)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,231 (October 24, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Bacon, Comic, Film, Mobius. (Kinds Of Strips)
- 🟢Green Group: Hobby Horse, Pinwheel, Popsicle, Sparkler. (Things On Sticks)
- 🔵Blue Group: Banner, Interstitial, Overlay, Pop-up. (Online Ad Formats)
- 🟣Purple Group: Candy, Salad, Space, Sports. (___ Bar)
Answers to NYT Connections #1,230 (October 23, 2026)
- 🟡Yellow Group: Direct, Frank, Open, Vocal. (Forthright)
- 🟢Green Group: Driver, Extension, Plugin, Update. (Things You Install On A Computer)
- 🔵Blue Group: Distance, Force, Power, Time. (Quantities In A Formula For Power)
- 🟣Purple Group: Double, Love, Phone, Spinal. (___ Tap)
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How did other Connectors do today?
NYT’s early testers rated today’s Connections puzzle 2 out of 5. This puts it in the medium difficulty level. Let us know how you fared in the comments!
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