A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1223
hints & answers for October 16, 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 16, 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 C, M, N and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHIP belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS

Reveal all four words
  • CHIP
  • MARK
  • NICK
  • SCRATCH

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHAD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES

Reveal all four words
  • CHAD
  • HUNGARY
  • LAOS
  • PARAGUAY

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BULGARI belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER

Reveal all four words
  • BULGARI
  • CYRUS
  • HUNGRY
  • SPAN

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CHICKEN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STARTING WITH WORDS FOR "STYLISH"

Reveal all four words
  • CHICKEN
  • COOLIDGE
  • HIPPO
  • SMARTIES
Show categories only
  • Yellow: SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS
  • Green: LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES
  • Blue: EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER
  • Purple: STARTING WITH WORDS FOR "STYLISH"

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS

CHIP · MARK · NICK · SCRATCH

Green

LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES

CHAD · HUNGARY · LAOS · PARAGUAY

Blue

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MINUS A LETTER

BULGARI · CYRUS · HUNGRY · SPAN

Purple

STARTING WITH WORDS FOR "STYLISH"

CHICKEN · COOLIDGE · HIPPO · SMARTIES

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.