NYT Connections game #1234 for October 27 asks you to sort a board where a few familiar phrases point in opposite directions. The trick is spotting which way the shared word goes.
There’s a straightforward place to start, but a couple of words make the later connections much less obvious.
SPOILER WARNING: Hints and answers for today’s Connections follow.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words on today’s board:
- TACO | PEPPER | DRUM | JAR
- TINKER | TOWER | FIDDLE | JINGLE
- LIBERTY | CANAL | TRIFLE | DIVING
- ANVIL | BOTTOMS | STIRRUP | MEDDLE
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Need a nudge without the answers? Try these:
- 🟡 Yellow: Look for four verbs that describe interfering with or fussing over something.
- 🟢 Green: These four terms name structures found in one part of the body.
- 🔵 Blue: Each word can come before the same familiar noun.
- 🟣 Purple: The shared word goes at the beginning of each phrase this time.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
- 🟡 Yellow: MESS (WITH)
- 🟢 Green: PARTS OF THE EAR
- 🔵 Blue: ___ BELL
- 🟣 Purple: BELL ___
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are all four groups, from easiest to hardest:
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | MESS (WITH) | FIDDLE, MEDDLE, TINKER, TRIFLE |
| 🟢 Green | PARTS OF THE EAR | ANVIL, CANAL, DRUM, STIRRUP |
| 🔵 Blue | ___ BELL | DIVING, JINGLE, LIBERTY, TACO |
| 🟣 Purple | BELL ___ | BOTTOMS, JAR, PEPPER, TOWER |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The natural entry point is yellow: FIDDLE, MEDDLE, TINKER and TRIFLE all work as ways to mess with something. If you’re stuck, that’s the safest first guess because the words share a clear meaning without depending on a phrase or a more specialized connection.
Purple is the toughest group: BELL has to come first in BELL BOTTOMS, BELL JAR, BELL PEPPER and BELL TOWER. That direction is easy to miss when the board also offers the reverse pattern, with TACO, JINGLE, LIBERTY and DIVING all leading into BELL. PEPPER is a useful decoy to watch: it belongs after BELL, while TACO belongs before it. DRUM can also pull your thoughts toward music, but here it’s grouped with ANVIL, CANAL and STIRRUP.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — the two opposing BELL patterns make the final split easy to reverse.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1233)
Yesterday’s puzzle ranged from everyday replies to a set of horror movie titles with a letter changed.
- 🟡 Yellow (RESPONSES TO “HOW ARE YOU?”): CHILLING, MANAGING, NOT BAD, SAME OLD
- 🟢 Green (KINDS OF MATS): PRAYER, WELCOME, WRESTLING, YOGA
- 🔵 Blue (AKC DOG BREED GROUPS): HERDING, HOUND, SPORTING, TOY
- 🟣 Purple (HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED): HALLOWEEK, HOSTED, JAWN, PSYCHS
What is NYT Connections?
Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times. The goal is to sort 16 words into four groups of four that share a connection.
The groups are marked by color, from yellow as the easiest to purple as the hardest.
How to play NYT Connections
- Choose four words that you think share a connection, then submit your group.
- Find all four groups of four words before you run out of guesses.
- Use the color clues to see how difficult each group is: yellow is easiest and purple is hardest.
Past week’s NYT Connections answers
Missed a day? Full solutions from earlier this week, newest first.
Game #1232 — October 25
- 🟡 STEAL: BOOST, PALM, POCKET, SWIPE
- 🟢 PASTA SHAPES: BOW TIE, ELBOW, SHELL, WAGON WHEEL
- 🔵 FICTIONAL TOMS: RIPLEY, SAWYER, SWIFT, THUMB
- 🟣 THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED: FINGERS, FOOTBALL, GLOW STICK, RUBBER BAND
Game #1231 — October 24
- 🟡 KINDS OF STRIPS: BACON, COMIC, FILM, MÖBIUS
- 🟢 THINGS ON STICKS: HOBBY HORSE, PINWHEEL, POPSICLE, SPARKLER
- 🔵 ONLINE AD FORMATS: BANNER, INTERSTITIAL, OVERLAY, POP-UP
- 🟣 ___ BAR: CANDY, SALAD, SPACE, SPORTS
Game #1230 — October 23
- 🟡 FORTHRIGHT: DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, VOCAL
- 🟢 THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER: DRIVER, EXTENSION, PLUGIN, UPDATE
- 🔵 QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER: DISTANCE, FORCE, POWER, TIME
- 🟣 ___ TAP: DOUBLE, LOVE, PHONE, SPINAL
Game #1229 — October 22
- 🟡 PARTS TO BE GRASPED: GRIP, HANDLE, HILT, KNOB
- 🟢 KINDS OF SCULPTURES: BUST, MOBILE, RELIEF, STATUE
- 🔵 AMERICAN FOOTBALL POSITIONS: END, GUARD, SAFETY, TACKLE
- 🟣 STARTS OF BEDDING: BLANK, COMFORT, PILL, SHE
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
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.
