A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1214
hints & answers for October 7, 2026

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows October 7, 2026. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, S, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BANK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SAVE FOR LATER

Reveal all four words
  • BANK
  • SQUIRREL
  • STASH
  • STORE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, H, H and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CINNAMON belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF BUNS

Reveal all four words
  • CINNAMON
  • HAMBURGER
  • HOT DOG
  • STICKY

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with D, M, T and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DICHOTOMY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES

Reveal all four words
  • DICHOTOMY
  • MONOLOGUE
  • TETRACYCLINE
  • TRIDENT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, M, O and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHOREOGRAPHY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BEST ___ TONY AWARDS

Reveal all four words
  • CHOREOGRAPHY
  • MUSICAL
  • ORCHESTRATIONS
  • PLAY
Show categories only
  • Yellow: SAVE FOR LATER
  • Green: KINDS OF BUNS
  • Blue: GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES
  • Purple: BEST ___ TONY AWARDS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SAVE FOR LATER

BANK · SQUIRREL · STASH · STORE

Green

KINDS OF BUNS

CINNAMON · HAMBURGER · HOT DOG · STICKY

Blue

GREEK NUMERICAL PREFIXES

DICHOTOMY · MONOLOGUE · TETRACYCLINE · TRIDENT

Purple

BEST ___ TONY AWARDS

CHOREOGRAPHY · MUSICAL · ORCHESTRATIONS · PLAY

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.