Play Connections #1216
These are the 16 words in the order NYT shows them. Tap four words you think belong together and press Submit. You get four mistakes, and we'll tell you when you are one word away. Nothing is saved, so you can practise without touching your real streak.
Connections #1216 hints
Yellow is usually the easiest group and purple the trickiest. Start with one colour and see if the rest falls into place.
Hints used: 0
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Yellow group hintGentle hint
Picture a game that was never in doubt from the opening minutes.
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Green group hintGentle hint
These are settings you can change without getting up from the couch.
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Blue group hintHelpful hint
A broadcast uses these to catch you up on the games you missed.
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Purple group hintHelpful hint
Each of these can follow a word for what we breathe.
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Where's the trap?Strong hint
Game-result terms could blur the lines between the lopsided-win words and the broadcast-segment words.
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The four group namesStrong hint
- DECISIVE VICTORY
- CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE
- FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW
- AIR ___
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Difficulty: Easy. Most groups follow clear, familiar themes, and the fill-in-the-blank group uses very common phrases.
Connections #1216 answers
Spoiler zone. Below are all four groups for October 9, 2026, with why each word fits.
Reveal one group at a time
Each colour opens in three steps: one word from the group, then the group name, then all four words. Stop as soon as you can finish it yourself.
Show one word
BLOWOUT is in the yellow group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is DECISIVE VICTORY.
Show all four words
BLOWOUT, ROMP, ROUT, SWEEP
Show one word
CHANNEL is in the green group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE.
Show all four words
CHANNEL, INPUT, POWER, VOLUME
Show one word
HIGHLIGHTS is in the blue group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW.
Show all four words
HIGHLIGHTS, RECAP, SCORES, STATS
Show one word
CONDITIONER is in the purple group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is AIR ___.
Show all four words
CONDITIONER, GUITAR, KISS, QUOTES
All four groups at once
Show all four groups
- BLOWOUT: A game won by a huge margin
- ROMP: An easy, lopsided win
- ROUT: A crushing defeat of the opponent
- SWEEP: Winning every game in a series
- CHANNEL: Changed to pick which station is showing
- INPUT: Switched to choose HDMI or another source
- POWER: Turns the television on or off
- VOLUME: Raised or lowered to adjust loudness
- HIGHLIGHTS: Short clips of the best plays
- RECAP: A summary of what happened
- SCORES: Final results from games around the league
- STATS: Numbers on player and team performance
Purple group explained
- CONDITIONER: Air conditioner cools a room
- GUITAR: Air guitar is pretend playing with no instrument
- KISS: Air kiss is a greeting made without contact
- QUOTES: Air quotes are finger gestures for quotation marks
Recent Connections puzzles
| Date | Puzzle | Purple group |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 8 | #1215 | ENDING IN ACTORS NAMED TOM |
| Oct 7 | #1214 | BEST ___ TONY AWARDS |
| Oct 6 | #1213 | ENDING IN TALENTS |
| Oct 5 | #1212 | ENDING IN WAYS TO TEMPORARILY ACQUIRE |
| Oct 4 | #1211 | SILENT ___ |
| Oct 3 | #1210 | ENDING IN FANTASY CREATURES |
| Oct 2 | #1209 | PRIME ___ |
About Connections
Connections is a daily New York Times puzzle where you sort 16 words into four groups of four. Groups are colour-coded from yellow, the most direct, to purple, which usually relies on wordplay. You can make four mistakes. Looking back at past puzzles is one of the best ways to learn the kinds of tricks the editors like to use.
Other puzzles on Oct 9
Connections #1216 questions
What were the Connections answers on October 9, 2026?
DECISIVE VICTORY: BLOWOUT, ROMP, ROUT, SWEEP. CONTROLLED BY A TV REMOTE: CHANNEL, INPUT, POWER, VOLUME. FEATURES OF A SPORTS SHOW: HIGHLIGHTS, RECAP, SCORES, STATS. AIR ___: CONDITIONER, GUITAR, KISS, QUOTES.
What was the purple group in Connections #1216?
AIR ___: CONDITIONER, GUITAR, KISS, QUOTES.
What made Connections #1216 tricky?
Game-result terms could blur the lines between the lopsided-win words and the broadcast-segment words.