Game #1216 of NYT Connections, for October 9, asks you to sort a board where a few familiar words are doing double duty. The trick is spotting which meaning matters.
A decisive win is the cleanest place to start; the more elusive group depends on completing a phrase.
SPOILER WARNING: Hints and answers for today’s Connections puzzle are below.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words on today’s board:
- POWER | GUITAR | CONDITIONER | VOLUME
- BLOWOUT | KISS | SWEEP | HIGHLIGHTS
- SCORES | QUOTES | INPUT | STATS
- CHANNEL | ROMP | RECAP | ROUT
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Need a nudge before seeing the group titles? Try these hints:
- 🟡 Yellow: Look for four words describing a one-sided result.
- 🟢 Green: These are all things you might select or adjust with a remote.
- 🔵 Blue: These could all feature in a sports broadcast.
- 🟣 Purple: Each word can follow the same two-word phrase starter.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
- 🟡 Yellow: DECISIVE VICTORY
- 🟢 Green: CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE
- 🔵 Blue: FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW
- 🟣 Purple: AIR ___
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are the four groups and their answers, from easiest to hardest:
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 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 |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The natural entry point is the yellow group: BLOWOUT, ROMP, ROUT and SWEEP all describe a decisive victory. From there, CHANNEL, INPUT, POWER and VOLUME make a tidy remote-control set, while HIGHLIGHTS, RECAP, SCORES and STATS belong to a sports show.
The purple group is the toughest because it relies on the shared phrase “AIR ___”: CONDITIONER, GUITAR, KISS and QUOTES. The word HIGHLIGHTS can tempt you toward hair-related thinking alongside BLOWOUT and CONDITIONER, but it belongs with the sports-show words. If you’re stuck, make your first safe guess with the sports quartet; it gives you a clear set without needing to solve the phrase-completion trick first.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — the clear sports and victory sets help, but the phrase-based purple group invites detours.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1215)
Yesterday’s puzzle grouped words about following rules, outdoing someone, threes and actor-named endings:
- 🟡 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
What is NYT Connections?
Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times. Players sort 16 words into four groups of four, with each group linked by a shared idea.
The groups are color-coded by difficulty, from yellow to purple. The challenge is that words can seem to fit more than one possible connection.
How to play NYT Connections
- Choose four words you think share a connection and submit them as a group.
- Find all four groups of four words before using up your mistakes.
- Use the color clues to gauge difficulty: yellow is easiest, followed by green, blue and purple.
- Watch for words that could fit more than one group, and check that your set has one clear shared link.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1214 — October 7
- 🟡 SAVE FOR LATER: BANK, SQUIRREL, STASH, STORE
- 🟢 KINDS OF BUNS: CINNAMON, HAMBURGER, HOT DOG, STICKY
- 🔵 GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES: DICHOTOMY, MONOLOGUE, TETRACYCLINE, TRIDENT
- 🟣 BEST ___ TONY AWARDS: CHOREOGRAPHY, MUSICAL, ORCHESTRATIONS, PLAY
Game #1213 — October 6
- 🟡 FINANCIAL FIRMS, FOR SHORT: BERKSHIRE, CITI, GOLDMAN, MERRILL
- 🟢 KINDS OF CHAIRS: ADIRONDACK, EAMES, WINDSOR, WINGBACK
- 🔵 ___ INN HOTELS: COMFORT, DAYS, HAMPTON, HOLIDAY
- 🟣 ENDING IN TALENTS: CATSKILL, KNICKKNACK, PIANOFORTE, STABILITY
Game #1212 — October 5
- 🟡 CALM: CONTENT, PEACEFUL, PLACID, SERENE
- 🟢 ADJECTIVES FOR MATURE CONTENT: EXPLICIT, GRAPHIC, STRONG, SUGGESTIVE
- 🔵 KINDS OF BOARDS: ADVISORY, CHESS, IRONING, MESSAGE
- 🟣 ENDING IN WAYS TO TEMPORARILY ACQUIRE: PARENT, PLEASE, SAPPHIRE, SLOAN
Game #1211 — October 4
- 🟡 CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT: BUNCH, HEAP, LOT, STACK
- 🟢 TABLE TENNIS NEEDS: BALL, NET, PADDLE, TABLE
- 🔵 PARTS OF A JUDGE COSTUME: COLLAR, GAVEL, ROBE, WIG
- 🟣 SILENT ___: AUCTION, FILM, PARTNER, TREATMENT
Game #1210 — October 3
- 🟡 STARTING WITH TERMS FOR “TOILET”: CAN OPENER, HEAD WAITER, JOHN DENVER, W.C. FIELDS
- 🟢 ENDING IN MUSICALS: ELBOW GREASE, FAT CATS, LINDA HAMILTON, SOMETHING WICKED
- 🔵 STARTING WITH U.S. MUSEUMS: BROAD BEAN, GETTY IMAGES, MET HALFWAY, WHITNEY HOUSTON
- 🟣 ENDING IN FANTASY CREATURES: DIET SPRITE, MERV GRIFFIN, NY GIANT, RIVER PHOENIX
Game #1209 — October 2
- 🟡 FINANCE: BACK, BANKROLL, FUND, SUPPORT
- 🟢 FINGERS: INDEX, LITTLE, MIDDLE, RING
- 🔵 CUSTOMARY: COMMON, ROUTINE, STANDARD, STOCK
- 🟣 PRIME ___: NUMBER, REAL ESTATE, RIB, TIME
More daily puzzle help from HashTechWave
- Today’s NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers
- Today’s NYT Spelling Bee answers and pangram
- Today’s Wordle hints, clues and answer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle unlock?
A brand-new puzzle drops every single night at midnight local time across your specific region’s time zone on NYT Connection official site.
Why do some words seem to fit into two different groups?
The puzzle is specifically designed to include “decoys” or overlapping vocabulary. Always look for a backup configuration of words before locking in an early guess to protect your attempt counter.
Can I review answers to older puzzles?
Yes — we keep the past week of solutions right here on this page. Scroll up to the “Past week’s NYT Connections answers” section for every recent grid, newest first, plus a full breakdown of yesterday’s puzzle.
