Connections #1238 hints
Take the hints one colour at a time. Yellow tends to be the most direct and purple the most sideways.
Hints used: 0
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Yellow group hintGentle hint
Slang compliments that sound like insults, popular with surfers and skaters.
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Green group hintGentle hint
You'd tell the bartender these when ordering a classic cocktail the way you like it.
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Blue group hintHelpful hint
Cords are the key here, and you might pluck them, pull them, or tie them.
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Purple group hintHelpful hint
The first few letters of each word are something you might tell a pup.
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Where's the trap?Strong hint
One cocktail term looks like it could start with a command for a pup, and another one looks like a direction word that could begin a hidden-word answer.
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The four group namesStrong hint
- WORDS MEANING GOOD THAT SOUND BAD
- MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS
- THINGS WITH STRINGS
- STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS
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Difficulty: Medium. The slang and cocktail groups are easy to spot, but the last group hides its trick at the start of longer words and shares some overlap with the others.
Play Connections #1238
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. The longest word on this board is TENNIS RACKET and the shortest is UP.
Connections #1238 answers
Careful: everything from here on shows the answers for October 31, 2026.
Reveal one group at a time
Three levels per colour: a single word, the group name, then all four. Open only what you need.
Show one word
GNARLY is in the yellow group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is WORDS MEANING GOOD THAT SOUND BAD.
Show all four words
GNARLY, KILLER, SICK, WICKED
Show one word
DIRTY is in the green group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS.
Show all four words
DIRTY, DRY, SHAKEN, UP
Show one word
GUITAR is in the blue group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is THINGS WITH STRINGS.
Show all four words
GUITAR, MARIONETTE, TASSEL, TENNIS RACKET
Show one word
DOWNFALL is in the purple group. Look for three more words that share something with it.
Show the group name
The group is STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS.
Show all four words
DOWNFALL, SHAKESPEARE, SITCOM, STAYCATION
All four groups at once
Show all four groups
- GNARLY: Slang for awesome, though it sounds ugly.
- KILLER: Slang for excellent, despite the violent sound.
- SICK: Slang for impressive, despite meaning ill.
- WICKED: Slang for great, despite meaning evil.
- DIRTY: A martini made with a splash of olive brine.
- DRY: A martini with very little vermouth.
- SHAKEN: Mixed by shaking, as James Bond likes it.
- UP: Served chilled in a stemmed glass, no ice.
- GUITAR: Played by plucking or strumming its strings.
- MARIONETTE: A puppet moved by strings from above.
- TASSEL: A decorative bundle of hanging threads.
- TENNIS RACKET: Has strings stretched across its frame to hit the ball.
Purple group explained
- DOWNFALL: Starts with DOWN, a command for a dog.
- SHAKESPEARE: Starts with SHAKE, a trick you teach a dog.
- SITCOM: Starts with SIT, a basic dog command.
- STAYCATION: Starts with STAY, a basic dog command.
Puzzle note
Check the full word, not just its first syllable. SHAKEN seems to begin with a pup command and UP seems like a direction, yet both are martini orders alongside DIRTY and DRY. That left SHAKESPEARE and DOWNFALL free for the purple group, which was a sneaky bit of misdirection.
What does GNARLY mean?
Surfer slang that spread into general talk. It can mean dangerous or harsh, like a gnarly storm, but also impressive or excellent, like a gnarly trick. In the puzzle it is the 'good' sense: awesome.
Recent Connections puzzles
| Date | Puzzle | Purple group |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 30 | #1237 | FRUIT WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED |
| Oct 29 | #1236 | THINGS THAT FEATURE THREE COLORS |
| Oct 28 | #1235 | HOMOPHONES OF PATHS |
| Oct 27 | #1234 | BELL ___ |
| Oct 26 | #1233 | HORROR MOVIES WITH LAST LETTER CHANGED |
| Oct 25 | #1232 | THINGS THAT CAN BE SNAPPED |
| Oct 24 | #1231 | ___ BAR |
About Connections
In Connections, 16 words hide four groups of four, and you can make four mistakes. Yellow is usually the plainest group and purple the most playful. Old puzzles show the same kinds of traps again and again, so replaying them is good practice.
Other puzzles on Oct 31
Connections #1238 questions
What were the Connections answers on October 31, 2026?
WORDS MEANING GOOD THAT SOUND BAD: GNARLY, KILLER, SICK, WICKED. MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS: DIRTY, DRY, SHAKEN, UP. THINGS WITH STRINGS: GUITAR, MARIONETTE, TASSEL, TENNIS RACKET. STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS: DOWNFALL, SHAKESPEARE, SITCOM, STAYCATION.
What was the purple group in Connections #1238?
STARTING WITH DOG COMMANDS: DOWNFALL, SHAKESPEARE, SITCOM, STAYCATION.
What made Connections #1238 tricky?
One cocktail term looks like it could start with a command for a pup, and another one looks like a direction word that could begin a hidden-word answer.
What was the easiest group in Connections #1238?
Usually yellow, which was WORDS MEANING GOOD THAT SOUND BAD: GNARLY, KILLER, SICK, WICKED.