A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1218
hints & answers for October 11, 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 11, 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 A, H, U and W. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

APPLY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PUT TO USE

Reveal all four words
  • APPLY
  • HARNESS
  • UTILIZE
  • WIELD

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CABLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

MONTHLY BILLS

Reveal all four words
  • CABLE
  • ELECTRICITY
  • INTERNET
  • PHONE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

GLOVES belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT

Reveal all four words
  • GLOVES
  • ICE SCRAPER
  • MAP
  • REGISTRATION

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

EMPLOY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ENDING IN GAMBITS

Reveal all four words
  • EMPLOY
  • PATRICK
  • PERUSE
  • SYNTACTIC
Show categories only
  • Yellow: PUT TO USE
  • Green: MONTHLY BILLS
  • Blue: THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT
  • Purple: ENDING IN GAMBITS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

PUT TO USE

APPLY · HARNESS · UTILIZE · WIELD

Green

MONTHLY BILLS

CABLE · ELECTRICITY · INTERNET · PHONE

Blue

THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT

GLOVES · ICE SCRAPER · MAP · REGISTRATION

Purple

ENDING IN GAMBITS

EMPLOY · PATRICK · PERUSE · SYNTACTIC

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.