NYT Connections Answers Today: Hints and Groups
Regularly updated NYT Connections Answers Today October 30, 2026
Connections has a habit of looking solved right up until it isn’t. Below are spoiler-free hints for the four groups on October 30, 2026, followed by the full category list and answers hidden behind one click. Updated every day as soon as the new grid goes live.
Last updated: October 30, 2026
- PARTS OF A CAMERA: SHUTTER, FLASH, LENS, VIEWFINDER
AROUND A THEATER STAGE: PIT, WINGS, CURTAIN, BACKDROP
THROW ___: HANDS, SHADE, RUG, PILLOW
FRUIT WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED: DEMON, GLUM, DRAPE, GRANGE
Work through it in the right order
The hints above describe each group without naming a single word. Read only the colour you’re stuck on — they’re listed easiest to hardest, matching the puzzle’s own yellow, green, blue, purple difficulty ladder.
If you’d rather see the group names but keep guessing the words yourself, the category titles sit above the answers in the block. The full solution only appears when you press Answer.
Yesterday’s Connections answers
The groups and solution for October 29, 2026:
- THINGS YOU PUT COINS INTO: PARKING METER, PAYPHONE, PIGGY BANK, WISHING WELL
- ASSOCIATED WITH PENGUINS: ANTARCTICA, EMPEROR, TUXEDO, WADDLE
- ENDS OF FAMOUS FONTS: GOTHIC, ROMAN, SANS, TYPEWRITER
- THINGS THAT FEATURE THREE COLORS: CALICO, CANDY CORN, NEAPOLITAN, TRAFFIC LIGHT
Connections answers from the past week
| Date | Answer |
|---|---|
| October 29 | THINGS YOU PUT COINS INTO: PARKING METER, PAYPHONE, PIGGY BANK, WISHING WELL / ASSOCIATED WITH PENGUINS: ANTARCTICA, EMPEROR, TUXEDO, WADDLE / ENDS OF FAMOUS FONTS: GOTHIC, ROMAN, SANS, TYPEWRITER / THINGS THAT FEATURE THREE COLORS: CALICO, CANDY CORN, NEAPOLITAN, TRAFFIC LIGHT |
| October 28 | ROMANTIC LIKING: ATTRACTION, CRUSH, FEELINGS, INTEREST / COMPONENTS OF AN EMAIL: ATTACHMENT, BODY, SIGNATURE, SUBJECT / NASA MARS ROVERS: CURIOSITY, OPPORTUNITY, PERSEVERANCE, SPIRIT / HOMOPHONES OF PATHS: COARSE, RODE, ROUT, WEIGH |
| October 27 | YELLOW — MESS (WITH): FIDDLE, MEDDLE, TINKER, TRIFLE / GREEN — PARTS OF THE EAR: ANVIL, CANAL, DRUM, STIRRUP / BLUE — ___ BELL: DIVING, JINGLE, LIBERTY, TACO / PURPLE — BELL ___: BOTTOMS, JAR, PEPPER, TOWER |
| October 26 | YELLOW — RESPONSES TO "HOW ARE YOU?": CHILLING, MANAGING, NOT BAD, SAME OLD / GREEN — KINDS OF MATS: PRAYER, WELCOME, WRESTLING, YOGA / BLUE — AKC DOG BREED GROUPS: HERDING, HOUND, SPORTING, TOY / PURPLE — HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED: HALLOWEEK, HOSTED, JAWN, PSYCHS |
| October 25 | YELLOW — STEAL: BOOST, PALM, POCKET, SWIPE / GREEN — PASTA SHAPES: BOW TIE, ELBOW, SHELL, WAGON WHEEL / BLUE — FICTIONAL TOMS: RIPLEY, SAWYER, SWIFT, THUMB / PURPLE — THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED: FINGERS, FOOTBALL, GLOW STICK, RUBBER BAND |
| October 24 | 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 |
| October 23 | 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 |
How Connections works
You get a 4×4 grid of sixteen words and must sort them into four groups of four that share something in common. You have four lives; every incorrect set of four costs one. Guess all four groups before you run out and you keep your streak.
The colours reveal themselves as you solve, and they’re ranked by difficulty:
- Yellow — the most straightforward, usually a plain category.
- Green — still direct, but with one or two words that could sit elsewhere.
- Blue — needs a bit of lateral thinking.
- Purple — almost always wordplay: hidden words, homophones, or “___ + a word”.
A new grid appears at midnight local time. Connections launched in June 2023 and has become the second most-played game in the NYT Games app after Wordle.
Four tactics that save lives for NYT Connections Answers Today
Solve purple first, not last. This feels backwards, but the purple group is usually the most rigid — it’s a mechanical trick rather than a theme. If you can spot that four words all contain hidden body parts, or all become new words with an added letter, you remove the four most disruptive tiles from the board.
Distrust the obvious category. If five or six words look like they fit one theme, at least one is a decoy planted in another group. That over-full category is the puzzle telling you where the trap is.
Count the overlaps before you commit. Every grid contains words that plausibly belong to two groups. Work out which group has no alternative home for its fourth word, and lock that one in first.
Use “shuffle” seriously. Rearranging the grid breaks the visual grouping your brain built on the first look. It’s the cheapest way to escape a wrong idea you’ve become attached to.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Connections reset?
Midnight in your local time zone, the same as Wordle. The timer above counts down on your own clock.
How many mistakes am I allowed?
Four. The fourth incorrect guess ends the puzzle and reveals the groups.
What does “one away” mean?
Three of your four words belong together and one doesn’t. It’s the most useful message in the game — swap a single word rather than rebuilding the whole group.
Is purple always the hardest?
By design, yes, but not always in practice. If the purple trick clicks immediately, it can be the fastest group on the board.
Can I play previous Connections puzzles?
Yes, through the NYT Games archive with a subscription. The list above covers the past week for free.
More daily puzzle answers
- NYT Wordle answer today
- NYT Strands answers and spangram today
- NYT Mini Crossword answers today
- All daily puzzle answers
