NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Saturday, October 31, 2026 (#1238)
Puzzle #1238. Start with a gentle nudge and work down — the full answers are at the bottom, hidden until you ask for them.
Just tell me the answer
The NYT Connections answer for Saturday, October 31, 2026 (puzzle #1238) is: YELLOW — WORDS MEANING GOOD THAT SOUND BAD: GNARLY, KILLER, SICK, WICKED. GREEN — MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS: DIRTY, DRY, SHAKEN, UP. BLUE — THINGS WITH STRINGS: GUITAR, MARIONETTE, TASSEL, TENNIS RACKET. PURPLE — STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS: DOWNFALL, SHAKESPEARE, SITCOM, STAYCATION.
Today's 16 words
The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Saturday, October 31, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.
STAYCATION
GUITAR
DIRTY
KILLER
SICK
DOWNFALL
SHAKEN
UP
TENNIS RACKET
SHAKESPEARE
WICKED
TASSEL
SITCOM
MARIONETTE
DRY
GNARLY
How hard is Connections #1238?
Easy35/100
• At least one entry is a phrase rather than a single word.
Where to start: Every category here is meaning-based, so group by topic first and use the four-per-group constraint to settle any word that could go two ways.
Connections hints for Saturday, October 31, 2026
Four levels, each giving away a little more. Open only as many as you need.
yellow(the most straightforward group — start here) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about bad.
green(a little trickier, but still direct) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about specifications.
blue(where the misdirection usually starts) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about strings.
purple(the wordplay group, and almost always the last to fall) A group united by what they ARE, not by wordplay — think about commands.
yellow4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
green4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
blue4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
purple4 things that belong to the same real-world set — the link is meaning, not spelling.
yellowOne member is
greenOne member is
blueOne member is
purpleOne member is
yellow
green
blue
purple
NYT Connections answers for Saturday, October 31, 2026
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Common questions
What is the NYT Connections answer for Saturday, October 31, 2026?
The NYT Connections answer for Saturday, October 31, 2026 (puzzle #1238) is: YELLOW — WORDS MEANING GOOD THAT SOUND BAD: GNARLY, KILLER, SICK, WICKED. GREEN — MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS: DIRTY, DRY, SHAKEN, UP. BLUE — THINGS WITH STRINGS: GUITAR, MARIONETTE, TASSEL, TENNIS RACKET. PURPLE — STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS: DOWNFALL, SHAKESPEARE, SITCOM, STAYCATION.
What is the purple group in Connections #1238?
The purple (hardest) group is "STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS": DOWNFALL, SHAKESPEARE, SITCOM, STAYCATION.
What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?
The yellow group is the most straightforward: "WORDS MEANING GOOD THAT SOUND BAD" — GNARLY, KILLER, SICK, WICKED. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.
What number is today's Connections puzzle?
Saturday, October 31, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #1238. Connections launched on 12 June 2023 with puzzle #1, and a new puzzle is published every day.
What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle come out?
A new Connections puzzle unlocks at midnight in your own local time zone, so the changeover happens at a different moment around the world. The puzzle itself is the same for everyone on a given date.