The New York Times Connections puzzle for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, is number 1,228. This daily word game, curated by associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, requires players to find four groups of four words that share a common link. Today’s board balances art history, social status, and a particularly tricky set of linguistic contradictions.
Connections Hints for October 21
If you prefer to find the connections yourself, use these progressive hints to guide your thinking before looking at the final solutions.
General Theme Hints:
- One category involves activities you might find at a birthday party for kids.
- Another group describes people with significant influence or status.
- The third group lists specific, iconic masterpieces found in famous museums.
- The most difficult group (Purple) consists of items that are named inaccurately in two different ways.
Category-Specific Clues:
- Yellow: Think of movement and circle games played on a playground.
- Green: These are all colloquialisms for a VIP or someone at the top of their field.
- Blue: These are individual titles of world-renowned art pieces by artists like Van Gogh and Warhol.
- Purple: Every item in this group is a “lie.” For example, one is neither a musical “horn” nor “English.”
Spoiler Warning: Connections Answers for October 21
STOP! If you do not want the answers revealed, do not read any further. The completed groups and their explanations follow below.
Yellow: Classic Children’s Games
- DUCK DUCK GOOSE
- HOT POTATO
- LEAPFROG
- MUSICAL CHAIRS
This group identifies well-known recreational activities often played by kids in groups.
Green: Important Person
- ALPHA DOG
- BIG CHEESE
- HEAVYWEIGHT
- TOP BANANA
These terms are all used metaphorically to describe a leader, a person of great influence, or the head of an organization.
Blue: Famous Paintings
- AMERICAN GOTHIC
- CAMPBELL’S SOUP CAN
- SUNFLOWERS
- THE SCREAM
These words represent iconic works of art. American Gothic is by Grant Wood, Campbell’s Soup Can is by Andy Warhol, Sunflowers refers to the series by Vincent van Gogh, and The Scream is by Edvard Munch.
Purple: Double Misnomers
- ENGLISH HORN
- GRAPE-NUTS
- MANTIS SHRIMP
- SWEETBREAD
This “Double Misnomers” category is the trickiest of the day. Each item’s name is factually incorrect regarding both words in its name. The English horn is neither English nor a horn (it is a woodwind instrument). Grape-Nuts cereal contains no grapes and no nuts. A mantis shrimp is neither a mantis nor a shrimp. Finally, sweetbread is organ meat that is neither sweet nor a type of bread.
According to Parade, today’s puzzle leverages classic game themes alongside these complex linguistic gaps to challenge even seasoned players.
