TodayHint

Connections October 21, 2026: Hints & Answers (#1335)

edited by Wyna Liu.

Recap

The connections for October 21, 2026, featured a range of categories from playful childhood activities to famous artworks and influential figures. Solvers navigated through misnomers and well-known paintings to make the connections.

The sixteen tiles

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

ENGLISH HORNLEAPFROGALPHA DOGSWEETBREADHOT POTATOMANTIS SHRIMPSUNFLOWERSBIG CHEESEAMERICAN GOTHICGRAPE-NUTSCAMPBELL'S SOUP CANDUCK DUCK GOOSETOP BANANATHE SCREAMMUSICAL CHAIRSHEAVYWEIGHT

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
    Playground fun
    Green
    Key figure
    Blue
    Art masterpieces
    Purple
    Misleading terms
  2. What linked each group, described

    Still no titles and no tiles named.

    Yellow group

    These activities are commonly enjoyed by kids in a group setting, often requiring movement or interaction.

    Green group

    These phrases describe someone who holds significant influence or authority in a particular context or community.

    Blue group

    These works are renowned for their artistic significance and are often instantly recognizable to the general public.

    Purple group

    These phrases consist of two words that do not accurately describe the thing they refer to, often in a surprising or counterintuitive way.

  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. 11 of the sixteen tiles were more than one word.

    Tiles
    16 across 4 groups
    Longest tile
    19 characters
    Shortest tile
    8 characters
    Multi-word tiles
    11
    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 'BIG CHEESE' and 'TOP BANANA', which could both relate to importance or other categories. Be cautious with 'GRAPE-NUTS' and 'SWEETBREAD', which might seem out of place.

  5. The four category titles

    Half the answer.

    Yellow
    CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES
    Green
    IMPORTANT PERSON
    Blue
    FAMOUS PAINTINGS
    Purple
    DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION)
  6. One tile from each group

    The anchor most people misplaced, matched to its title.

    Yellow — CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES
    MUSICAL CHAIRS
    Green — IMPORTANT PERSON
    HEAVYWEIGHT
    Blue — FAMOUS PAINTINGS
    SUNFLOWERS
    Purple — DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION)
    MANTIS SHRIMP
    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

    CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES

    DUCK DUCK GOOSE, HOT POTATO, LEAPFROG, MUSICAL CHAIRS. The yellow group, 'CLASSIC CHILDREN'S GAMES', includes 'DUCK DUCK GOOSE', 'HOT POTATO', 'LEAPFROG', and 'MUSICAL CHAIRS'.

  • Green group · 4 tiles

    IMPORTANT PERSON

    ALPHA DOG, BIG CHEESE, HEAVYWEIGHT, TOP BANANA. The green group, 'IMPORTANT PERSON', consists of 'ALPHA DOG', 'BIG CHEESE', 'HEAVYWEIGHT', and 'TOP BANANA'.

  • Blue group · 4 tiles

    FAMOUS PAINTINGS

    AMERICAN GOTHIC, CAMPBELL'S SOUP CAN, SUNFLOWERS, THE SCREAM. The blue group, 'FAMOUS PAINTINGS', features 'AMERICAN GOTHIC', 'CAMPBELL'S SOUP CAN', 'SUNFLOWERS', and 'THE SCREAM'.

  • Purple group · 4 tiles

    DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION)

    ENGLISH HORN, GRAPE-NUTS, MANTIS SHRIMP, SWEETBREAD. The purple group, 'DOUBLE MISNOMERS (NEITHER WORD IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION)', comprises 'ENGLISH HORN', 'GRAPE-NUTS', 'MANTIS SHRIMP', and 'SWEETBREAD'.

This board by the numbers

Puzzle
(#1335) · Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Tiles
16 in a 4 × 4 grid
Groups
4, yellow to purple
Multi-word tiles
11
Longest tile
CAMPBELL'S SOUP CAN
Mistakes allowed
4 before the board locked

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