NYT Connections Game #1233 for October 26 brings a board where everyday replies, several kinds of mats and a quartet of altered horror titles all compete for attention.
The safest route is to spot the conversational answers first; the trickier categories reward a closer look at what each word has in common.
SPOILER WARNING: Hints and answers for today’s Connections follow.
Today’s NYT Connections words
Here are the 16 words on today’s board:
- WELCOME | HALLOWEEK | CHILLING | TOY
- YOGA | JAWN | SPORTING | PRAYER
- PSYCHS | HOUND | MANAGING | WRESTLING
- SAME OLD | HOSTED | HERDING | NOT BAD
Today’s NYT Connections hints
Need a nudge without the full reveal? Try these hints:
- 🟡 Yellow: Look for four phrases that could answer a casual check-in.
- 🟢 Green: Think of four mats associated with different activities.
- 🔵 Blue: These are four labels from a recognized canine classification system.
- 🟣 Purple: Each entry is a horror-movie title altered at its final letter.
Today’s NYT Connections group titles
- 🟡 Yellow: RESPONSES TO “HOW ARE YOU?”
- 🟢 Green: KINDS OF MATS
- 🔵 Blue: AKC DOG BREED GROUPS
- 🟣 Purple: HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED
What are today’s NYT Connections answers?
Here are all four groups and their words:
| Colour | Group | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 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 |
Today’s Connections — expert analysis
The natural entry point is Yellow: CHILLING, MANAGING, NOT BAD and SAME OLD all work as replies to “How are you?” Once that set is clear, the mat connection gives you another foothold: WELCOME, PRAYER, WRESTLING and YOGA each fit a different kind of mat.
Purple is the hardest group because HALLOWEEK, HOSTED, JAWN and PSYCHS are altered horror-movie titles, rather than straightforward examples of a shared everyday category. The decoys are doing useful work: CHILLING can sound horror-related, while WELCOME looks like a conversational word but belongs with the mats. TOY can also feel like a broad outlier until you recognize it alongside HOUND, HERDING and SPORTING.
If you’re stuck, spend your first safe guess on the four conversational replies; then test PRAYER, WELCOME, WRESTLING and YOGA as a set before chasing the less obvious wordplay.
Difficulty: 3.5/5 — the clear conversational set is balanced by a subtle final-letter change category.
Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Game #1232)
Yesterday’s Game #1232 paired a straightforward steal category with pasta shapes, fictional Toms and things that can be snapped.
- 🟡 Yellow (STEAL): BOOST, PALM, POCKET, SWIPE
- 🟢 Green (PASTA SHAPES): BOW TIE, ELBOW, SHELL, WAGON WHEEL
- 🔵 Blue (FICTIONAL TOMS): RIPLEY, SAWYER, SWIFT, THUMB
- 🟣 Purple (THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED): FINGERS, FOOTBALL, GLOW STICK, RUBBER BAND
What is NYT Connections?
Connections is a daily word puzzle from The New York Times. The aim is to sort 16 words into four groups of four, with one shared connection linking the words in each group.
The categories range from direct to deliberately tricky, and a word can look as though it belongs in more than one place. Finding the exact four-word sets is the challenge.
How to play NYT Connections
- Choose four words you think share a common connection.
- Submit the group and check whether the connection is correct.
- Keep sorting the remaining words 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 #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
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
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.
