A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1230
hints & answers for October 23, 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 23, 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, F, O and V. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

DIRECT belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FORTHRIGHT

Reveal all four words
  • DIRECT
  • FRANK
  • OPEN
  • VOCAL

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DRIVER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER

Reveal all four words
  • DRIVER
  • EXTENSION
  • PLUGIN
  • UPDATE

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

DISTANCE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER

Reveal all four words
  • DISTANCE
  • FORCE
  • POWER
  • TIME

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

DOUBLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ TAP

Reveal all four words
  • DOUBLE
  • LOVE
  • PHONE
  • SPINAL

Each entry comes before "TAP" to form a word, expression or name: DOUBLE → DOUBLE TAP; LOVE → LOVE TAP; PHONE → PHONE TAP; SPINAL → SPINAL TAP.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: FORTHRIGHT
  • Green: THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER
  • Blue: QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER
  • Purple: ___ TAP

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

FORTHRIGHT

DIRECT · FRANK · OPEN · VOCAL

Green

THINGS YOU INSTALL ON A COMPUTER

DRIVER · EXTENSION · PLUGIN · UPDATE

Blue

QUANTITIES IN A FORMULA FOR POWER

DISTANCE · FORCE · POWER · TIME

Purple

___ TAP

DOUBLE · LOVE · PHONE · SPINAL

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.