NYT Connections Game #1230 for October 23 puts a few familiar words to work in very different ways. A straightforward set of synonyms offers a foothold, but the board’s tech terms and phrase endings make easy assumptions risky.
Use the hints first if you want a nudge without giving away the groups; the full answers and a closer look at the trickiest overlaps follow.
SPOILER WARNING: The group titles and answers for today’s Connections puzzle are below.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words on today’s board:
- EXTENSION | LOVE | DIRECT | POWER
- SPINAL | VOCAL | DRIVER | DISTANCE
- PHONE | TIME | UPDATE | OPEN
- FRANK | FORCE | DOUBLE | PLUGIN
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Need a nudge? These clues point towards each group without naming it:
- 🟡 Yellow: Look for words that describe someone speaking plainly and without reserve.
- 🟢 Green: Think of things added to or installed on a computer.
- 🔵 Blue: These are quantities that appear together in a formula about power.
- 🟣 Purple: Find the words that can each come before the same word for a light touch.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
- 🟡 Yellow: FORTHRIGHT
- 🟢 Green: THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER
- 🔵 Blue: QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER
- 🟣 Purple: ___ TAP
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are all four groups, from easiest to hardest:
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | FORTHRIGHT | DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, VOCAL |
| 🟢 Green | THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER | DRIVER, EXTENSION, PLUGIN, UPDATE |
| 🔵 Blue | QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER | DISTANCE, FORCE, POWER, TIME |
| 🟣 Purple | ___ TAP | DOUBLE, LOVE, PHONE, SPINAL |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
Yellow is the natural entry point: DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN and VOCAL all fit a forthright manner. That gives you a safe first guess before the board starts pulling familiar words in competing directions.
Purple is the hardest group because its link is a phrase ending rather than a shared meaning: DOUBLE, LOVE, PHONE and SPINAL all pair with TAP. The computer-install group can also snag you: DRIVER, EXTENSION, PLUGIN and UPDATE belong together in that context, while DRIVER and EXTENSION can suggest other meanings. POWER is another tempting crossover, but it belongs with DISTANCE, FORCE and TIME.
If you’re stuck, spend your first safe guess on DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN and VOCAL. Then separate the computer-related words from the formula quantities before testing the less obvious phrase link.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — the computer terms and the phrase-ending purple group make the overlaps easy to second-guess.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1229)
Yesterday’s puzzle sorted its words into these four groups:
- 🟡 Yellow (PARTS TO BE GRASPED): GRIP, HANDLE, HILT, KNOB
- 🟢 Green (KINDS OF SCULPTURES): BUST, MOBILE, RELIEF, STATUE
- 🔵 Blue (AMERICAN FOOTBALL POSITIONS): END, GUARD, SAFETY, TACKLE
- 🟣 Purple (STARTS OF BEDDING): BLANK, COMFORT, PILL, SHE
What is NYT Connections?
Connections is a word puzzle in which you sort 16 words into four groups of four. Each group shares a connection, and spotting the link is the challenge.
How to play NYT Connections
- Look over the 16 words and identify a possible shared link between four of them.
- Select those four words as a group.
- Repeat until you have found all four groups.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1228 — October 21
- 🟡 CLASSIC CHILDREN’S GAMES: DUCK DUCK GOOSE, HOT POTATO, LEAPFROG, MUSICAL CHAIRS
- 🟢 IMPORTANT PERSON: ALPHA DOG, BIG CHEESE, HEAVYWEIGHT, TOP BANANA
- 🔵 FAMOUS PAINTINGS: AMERICAN GOTHIC, CAMPBELL’S SOUP CAN, SUNFLOWERS, THE SCREAM
- 🟣 DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION): ENGLISH HORN, GRAPE-NUTS, MANTIS SHRIMP, SWEETBREAD
Game #1227 — October 20
- 🟡 FINISH: CLOSE, END, STOP, WRAP
- 🟢 LACKEY: MINION, POODLE, PUPPET, STOOGE
- 🔵 MUSTACHES: CHEVRON, HORSESHOE, PENCIL, WALRUS
- 🟣 HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS: ARIAL, BELL, DOCK, MINI
Game #1226 — October 19
- 🟡 SEETHE: BOIL, FUME, RAVE, STEAM
- 🟢 ALL TALK: BLATHER, GAS, HOT AIR, WIND
- 🔵 “MC” THINGS AT MCDONALD’S: FLURRY, MUFFIN, NUGGETS, RIB
- 🟣 ENDING IN BIRDS: ALIBIS, BALLOON, ESCROW, MOHAWK
Game #1225 — October 18
- 🟡 PLACES TO STORE CLOTHES: BUREAU, CHEST, TRUNK, WARDROBE
- 🟢 THINGS THAT COME IN STICKS: BUTTER, DEODORANT, DYNAMITE, INCENSE
- 🔵 FAMOUS PERFUMES: ANGEL, COCO, OBSESSION, OPIUM
- 🟣 STARTING WITH THINGS THAT CLOUD THE AIR: FOGERTY, HAZEL, MISTER, VAPORETTO
Game #1224 — October 17
- 🟡 DIGITAL NOTIFICATIONS: ALERT, CHIME, DING, PING
- 🟢 PHOTO: PRINT, SHOT, SNAP, STILL
- 🔵 KINDS OF CRABS: FIDDLER, HERMIT, KING, SNOW
- 🟣 LA ___: BOHÈME, BREA, PAZ, SCALA
Game #1223 — October 16
- 🟡 SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS: CHIP, MARK, NICK, SCRATCH
- 🟢 LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES: CHAD, HUNGARY, LAOS, PARAGUAY
- 🔵 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER: BULGARI, CYRUS, HUNGRY, SPAN
- 🟣 STARTING WITH WORDS FOR “STYLISH”: CHICKEN, COOLIDGE, HIPPO, SMARTIES
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.
