If today’s New York Times Connections grid has you feeling stuck, you are not alone. Puzzle #1228 brings some clever word groups that might not be obvious right away. Here is what you need to know.
Here are helpful hints to guide you through today’s puzzle, with the full answers listed further down.
Today’s Connections Strategy & Commentary
Today’s puzzle has some very familiar, playful themes. The Yellow group brings us back to childhood, with names of well‑known outdoor and party games. Duck Duck Goose and Hot Potato are easy to spot for many players. The Green group is all about people who hold influence or stand out as leaders. Top Banana and Big Cheese are common idioms you may have heard before.
The Blue group turns to iconic art. These are widely recognized famous paintings from different eras. Sunflowers and The Scream are some of the most famous works you can find. The Purple group is the trickiest category. Every entry is a double misnomer. Neither part of the name correctly describes what the thing actually is. Grape‑Nuts are neither grapes nor nuts, which can throw you off until you catch the pattern.
Connections Hints Today: Category Clues
If you just need a gentle nudge, here are the clues for each color group:
- 🟨 Yellow Group Hint: Classic games many people played as kids
- 🟩 Green Group Hint: Idioms referring to an influential or leading person
- 🟦 Blue Group Hint: Well‑known works of fine art
- 🟪 Purple Group Hint: Names where neither word accurately describes the real‑life item
Here is our result for today’s puzzle:
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟪🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: The full answers are below. Stop scrolling now if you want to solve it yourself first.
NYT Connections Answers Today for October 21, 2026 (Puzzle #1228)
🟨 Yellow Category: Classic Children’s Games
- Duck Duck Goose
- Hot Potato
- Leapfrog
- Musical Chairs
🟩 Green Category: Important Person
- Alpha Dog
- Big Cheese
- Heavyweight
- Top Banana
🟦 Blue Category: Famous Paintings
- American Gothic
- Campbell’s Soup Can
- Sunflowers
- The Scream
🟪 Purple Category: Double Misnomers (Neither Word Is An Accurate Description)
- English Horn
- Grape‑Nuts
- Mantis Shrimp
- Sweetbread
Yesterday’s Answer
This is the NYT Connections answer for October 20, 2026 (Puzzle #1227).
🟨 Yellow Category: Finish. Close, End, Stop, Wrap
🟩 Green Category: Lackey. Minion, Poodle, Puppet, Stooge
🟦 Blue Category: Mustaches. Chevron, Horseshoe, Pencil, Walrus
🟪 Purple Category: Homophones Of Disney Characters. Arial, Bell, Dock, Mini
For older solutions, see our Connections answers archive.
How did you do today?
Did you quickly pick out the classic‑games set, or did the tricky misnomer group slow you down? Share your results in the comments.
A new puzzle becomes available every midnight based on your local time zone. It appears at different times around the world including United States UTC‑4 to UTC‑8, Philippine Standard Time UTC+8, Australia UTC+8 to UTC+11, and New Zealand UTC+12 or UTC+13.
Check back tomorrow for more Connections hints, strategy tips, and the next answer.
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