October 13, 2026#1220archive

NYT Connections — October 13, 2026

Hints — one at a time

Hint 1 of 5

Today's board moves from words meaning a refined sense of judgment or style, to verbs meaning to secure something tightly, to prizes awarded for winning a championship, and finally to words that follow "loose."

Hint 2 of 5

Yellow (easiest): each of these describes a keen, refined sense of judgment or style.

Hint 3 of 5

Green: each of these means to attach or secure something tightly.

Hint 4 of 5

Blue: each of these is a prize given to the winner of a sports championship.

Hint 5 of 5

Purple (hardest): each of these follows the word "loose" — loose cannon, loose change, loose ends, loose lips.

The answer — spoilers!

Reveal the full answer

yellow
Discernment
EYE · FLAIR · SENSE · TASTE
green
Fasten
HITCH · LASH · TETHER · TIE
blue
Sports Championship Prizes
BELT · CUP · JACKET · RING
purple
Loose ___
CANNON · CHANGE · ENDS · LIPS

This puzzle by the numbers

Hardest group (purple): Loose ___
Longest word on the board: TETHER

Counted from our own archive of NYT Connections answers — not published anywhere else.

A solved Connections-style board: sixteen word tiles sorted into four coloured rows of four — fruits, gemstones, instruments and planets — A solved Connections grid: four groups of four, one colour each. Example board, not today’s puzzle.