The NYT Connections puzzle for Monday, October 19, 2026, is number 1,226. Edited by Wyna Liu, this edition challenges players to find the common threads between 16 words, ranging from synonyms for anger to hidden avian wordplay. For those playing the full suite of New York Times games, today also features Strands #960 and Wordle #1,948.
Today’s Connections Hints
If you are looking to narrow down the categories without seeing the full solutions yet, these progressive hints can help guide your grouping strategy.
General Theme Hints
- Yellow: Describes a state of intense agitation or fury.
- Green: Refers to talk that is empty, nonsensical, or excessive.
- Blue: These words are all missing a famous “Mc” prefix found at a specific fast-food chain.
- Purple: Focus on the spelling of the end of these words to find a hidden animal category.
Category Clues
- Seethe: Think of what water does when it gets too hot, or what a person does when they are visibly upset.
- All Talk: Words used to describe someone who is speaking at length without providing much substance.
- Fast Food Menu: Items you might order at McDonald’s, such as a breakfast item or a specific type of chicken piece.
- Hidden Birds: Look at the suffixes. One ends in a scavenger, another in a bird of prey.
For players who want to analyze their performance after completing the puzzle, the official NYT Connections Bot provides a breakdown of your skill and luck levels. It is a useful tool for understanding how your specific sequence of guesses compares to the most efficient path to the solution.
Connections Answers for October 19, 2026
SPOILER WARNING: The full solutions for Connections #1,226 are listed below.
Yellow: Seethe
- Boil
- Fume
- Rave
- Steam
These four words are synonyms for expressing or feeling intense anger.
Green: All Talk
- Blather
- Gas
- Hot Air
- Wind
These terms are used colloquially to describe speech that lacks meaning or is boastful and empty.
Blue: McDonald’s ‘Mc’ Menu Items
- Flurry
- Muffin
- Nuggets
- Rib
Each of these words serves as the second half of a signature McDonald’s menu item: McFlurry, McMuffin, McNuggets, and McRib.
Purple: Ending in Birds
- Alibis (Ibis)
- Balloon (Loon)
- Escrow (Crow)
- Mohawk (Hawk)
This category is the most difficult because it requires looking past the meaning of the words to find common birds hidden within their spelling. The words end in Ibis, Loon, Crow, and Hawk respectively.
