TodayHint

Connections October 11, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1312)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The connections between the words were based on their meanings and uses. Players had to figure out how each set of four words was related to each other.

The sixteen tiles

The sixteen tiles as dealt. Reveal a group below to tint and caption its tiles here.

HARNESSMAPPERUSEPHONEGLOVESCABLEAPPLYPATRICKELECTRICITYWIELDICE SCRAPERUTILIZEEMPLOYREGISTRATIONSYNTACTICINTERNET

Connections hints, one rung at a time

Six rungs, softest first. The recap above already named the groups, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.

  1. Four one-line nudges, one per group

    The softest hint there is.

    Yellow
    Verbs of action
    Green
    Household costs
    Blue
    Car accessories
    Purple
    Word endings
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    These words all relate to making something active or effective. They describe ways to take something and make it work or happen.

    Green group

    These are common expenses that people pay every month to keep their homes running smoothly.

    Blue group

    You might find these items in a small storage space in a vehicle, used for driving or maintenance.

    Purple group

    These words all end with a particular type of clever or strategic expression.

  3. Board facts

    Counted off the sixteen printed tiles.

    Sixteen tiles, four groups of four, ordered yellow → green → blue → purple from most to least obvious. 1 of the sixteen tile was more than one word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    12 characters
    Shortest tile
    3 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    1
    Back to the sixteen tiles
  4. The trap on this board

    Which tiles pulled in two directions.

    Some cards could fit into more than one group, especially 'MAP' and 'UTILIZE', which could logically belong to multiple categories at first glance.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    PUT TO USE
    Green
    MONTHLY BILLS
    Blue
    THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT
    Purple
    ENDING IN GAMBITS
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — PUT TO USE
    WIELD
    Green — MONTHLY BILLS
    ELECTRICITY
    Blue — THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT
    REGISTRATION
    Purple — ENDING IN GAMBITS
    SYNTACTIC
    Open the full groupings

Every Connections group from that board

All four groups, folded. Opening one tints its four tiles above and captions them with the category name.

  • Yellow group · 4 tiles

    PUT TO USE

    APPLY, HARNESS, UTILIZE, WIELD. The yellow group, 'PUT TO USE', includes the words APPLY, HARNESS, UTILIZE, and WIELD, all of which describe ways to make something active or effective.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    MONTHLY BILLS

    CABLE, ELECTRICITY, INTERNET, PHONE. The green group, 'MONTHLY BILLS', consists of CABLE, ELECTRICITY, INTERNET, and PHONE, common expenses that people pay every month.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT

    GLOVES, ICE SCRAPER, MAP, REGISTRATION. The blue group, 'THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN A GLOVE COMPARTMENT', contains GLOVES, ICE SCRAPER, MAP, and REGISTRATION, items you might find in a small storage space in a vehicle.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    ENDING IN GAMBITS

    EMPLOY, PATRICK, PERUSE, SYNTACTIC. The purple group, 'ENDING IN GAMBITS', comprises EMPLOY, PATRICK, PERUSE, and SYNTACTIC, words that all end with a particular type of clever expression.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1312) · Sunday, October 11, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
1
Longest tile
REGISTRATION
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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