A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1216
hints & answers for October 9, 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 9, 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, R, R and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BLOWOUT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DECISIVE VICTORY

Reveal all four words
  • BLOWOUT
  • ROMP
  • ROUT
  • SWEEP

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHANNEL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE

Reveal all four words
  • CHANNEL
  • INPUT
  • POWER
  • VOLUME

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

HIGHLIGHTS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW

Reveal all four words
  • HIGHLIGHTS
  • RECAP
  • SCORES
  • STATS

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

CONDITIONER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

AIR ___

Reveal all four words
  • CONDITIONER
  • GUITAR
  • KISS
  • QUOTES

Each entry comes after "AIR" to form a word, expression or name: CONDITIONER → AIR CONDITIONER; GUITAR → AIR GUITAR; KISS → AIR KISS; QUOTES → AIR QUOTES.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: DECISIVE VICTORY
  • Green: CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE
  • Blue: FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW
  • Purple: AIR ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

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

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.