TodayHint

Connections October 13, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1321)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The connections for this puzzle included a group of words for refined judgment, a set of verbs meaning to secure or attach, a collection of sports championship awards, and a series of idiomatic phrases all sharing a particular word.

The sixteen tiles

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

EYELASHLIPSJACKETTIESENSECHANGEBELTRINGTASTECUPHITCHCANNONTETHERFLAIRENDS

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
    Refined judgment
    Green
    Secure with force
    Blue
    Trophy examples
    Purple
    Idiomatic phrases
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    These words all relate to a natural ability to make fine distinctions or assessments.

    Green group

    These words all describe ways to attach or hold something firmly in place.

    Blue group

    These words are all names of awards or symbols given to winners in various competitive events.

    Purple group

    These phrases all use a particular word to describe something that is unconventional or unpredictable.

  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. Every tile was a single word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    6 characters
    Shortest tile
    3 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    0
    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 those with multiple meanings or uses. Be cautious with words like 'sense' and 'tie', which could apply to different categories.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    DISCERNMENT
    Green
    FASTEN
    Blue
    SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES
    Purple
    LOOSE ___
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — DISCERNMENT
    DISCERNMENT
    Green — FASTEN
    TETHER
    Blue — SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES
    JACKET
    Purple — LOOSE ___
    CANNON
    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

    DISCERNMENT

    EYE, FLAIR, SENSE, TASTE. The yellow group, 'DISCERNMENT', consists of 'EYE', 'FLAIR', 'SENSE', 'TASTE', all relating to refined judgment or instinct.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    FASTEN

    HITCH, LASH, TETHER, TIE. The green group, 'FASTEN', includes 'HITCH', 'LASH', 'TETHER', 'TIE', which are all ways to secure or attach something.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES

    BELT, CUP, JACKET, RING. The blue group, 'SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES', comprises 'BELT', 'CUP', 'JACKET', 'RING', all of which are awarded to champions in various sports.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    LOOSE ___

    CANNON, CHANGE, ENDS, LIPS. The purple group, 'LOOSE ___', features 'CANNON', 'CHANGE', 'ENDS', 'LIPS', which are all part of common idiomatic phrases.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1321) · Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
0
Longest tile
TETHER
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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