A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1217
hints & answers for October 10, 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 10, 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 D, N, O and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DRAFT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

USEFUL WHEN WRITING A PAPER

Reveal all four words
  • DRAFT
  • NOTES
  • OUTLINE
  • THESIS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FIGURE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PRESUME

Reveal all four words
  • FIGURE
  • GATHER
  • IMAGINE
  • SUPPOSE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FEED belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SOCIAL MEDIA SECTIONS

Reveal all four words
  • FEED
  • MESSAGES
  • NOTIFICATIONS
  • PROFILE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

BEAT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___BOXING

Reveal all four words
  • BEAT
  • KICK
  • SHADOW
  • UN

Each entry comes before "BOXING" to form a word, expression or name: BEAT → BEAT BOXING; KICK → KICK BOXING; SHADOW → SHADOW BOXING; UN → UN BOXING.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: USEFUL WHEN WRITING A PAPER
  • Green: PRESUME
  • Blue: SOCIAL MEDIA SECTIONS
  • Purple: ___BOXING

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

USEFUL WHEN WRITING A PAPER

DRAFT · NOTES · OUTLINE · THESIS

Green

PRESUME

FIGURE · GATHER · IMAGINE · SUPPOSE

Blue

SOCIAL MEDIA SECTIONS

FEED · MESSAGES · NOTIFICATIONS · PROFILE

Purple

___BOXING

BEAT · KICK · SHADOW · UN

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.