A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1231
hints & answers for October 24, 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 24, 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, C, F and M. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BACON belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

KINDS OF STRIPS

Reveal all four words
  • BACON
  • COMIC
  • FILM
  • MÖBIUS

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

HOBBY HORSE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THINGS ON STICKS

Reveal all four words
  • HOBBY HORSE
  • PINWHEEL
  • POPSICLE
  • SPARKLER

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BANNER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ONLINE AD FORMATS

Reveal all four words
  • BANNER
  • INTERSTITIAL
  • OVERLAY
  • POP-UP

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

CANDY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ BAR

Reveal all four words
  • CANDY
  • SALAD
  • SPACE
  • SPORTS

Each entry comes before "BAR" to form a word, expression or name: CANDY → CANDY BAR; SALAD → SALAD BAR; SPACE → SPACE BAR; SPORTS → SPORTS BAR.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: KINDS OF STRIPS
  • Green: THINGS ON STICKS
  • Blue: ONLINE AD FORMATS
  • Purple: ___ BAR

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

KINDS OF STRIPS

BACON · COMIC · FILM · MÖBIUS

Green

THINGS ON STICKS

HOBBY HORSE · PINWHEEL · POPSICLE · SPARKLER

Blue

ONLINE AD FORMATS

BANNER · INTERSTITIAL · OVERLAY · POP-UP

Purple

___ BAR

CANDY · SALAD · SPACE · SPORTS

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.