Looking for today’s NYT Connections hints and answers? The New York Times puzzle for Thursday, October 8, 2026, is Connections #1215. The 16-word grid features familiar verbs, things that come in threes, words associated with competition, and a tricky wordplay category involving actors named Tom.
In NYT Connections, players must divide 16 words into four groups of four. Each group has a hidden connection, but several words can appear to fit multiple categories. That overlap is what makes the daily puzzle challenging.
NYT Connections Words for October 8
Here are all 16 words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle:
FOOLHARDY, MINDS, THANKS, STOOGES, BEST, WISHES, REGARDS, ECLIPSE, CHEERS, MULHOLLAND, RESPECTS, STRIKES, TOP, AUTOCRUISE, HEEDS, SURPASS
Before looking at the answers, try grouping the words yourself. Pay particular attention to synonyms, familiar groups of three, and unusual word endings.
NYT Connections Hints for October 8
Need some help without revealing the complete solution? Here are the four category clues:
- Yellow: Follow or obey rules
- Green: Beat or surpass someone
- Blue: Famous things that come in groups of three
- Purple: Words ending with surnames of actors named Tom
The purple category is likely to be the toughest because the actor names are hidden within longer words rather than appearing directly.
Today’s NYT Connections Answers
Ready for the complete solution? Here are all four groups from NYT Connections #1215.
Yellow: FOLLOWS, AS RULES
HEEDS, MINDS, REGARDS, RESPECTS
All four words can describe paying attention to or following something. You can heed, mind, regard, or respect a rule or instruction. This makes the yellow group one of the more straightforward connections in today’s puzzle.
Green: OUTDO
BEST, ECLIPSE, SURPASS, TOP
These words can all mean to perform better than someone or something else. If you best, eclipse, surpass, or top another competitor, you have outperformed them.
The presence of BEST and TOP can make this category tempting to mix with other words, so checking the exact meaning of each term is important.
Blue: THINGS THAT COME IN THREES
CHEERS, STOOGES, STRIKES, WISHES
These words point to familiar groups of three. The Three Cheers, Three Stooges, three strikes, and three wishes are all recognizable expressions or concepts.
This category rewards general knowledge rather than a strict synonym relationship, making it slightly harder to identify at first.
Purple: ENDING IN ACTORS NAMED TOM
AUTOCRUISE, FOOLHARDY, MULHOLLAND, THANKS
This is the trickiest group in today’s NYT Connections puzzle. Each word contains the surname of a famous actor named Tom at the end:
- AUTOCRUISE → Cruise
- FOOLHARDY → Hardy
- MULHOLLAND → Holland
- THANKS → Hanks
The hidden-name format makes the connection difficult to spot because the full words have completely different meanings.
Why Today’s NYT Connections Is Tricky
Today’s puzzle uses several different types of connections. The yellow and green groups depend mainly on synonyms, while the blue category relies on recognizing familiar groups of three.
The purple group introduces a wordplay twist. AutoCruise, foolhardy, Mulholland, and thanks do not seem connected until you notice the surnames Cruise, Hardy, Holland, and Hanks at their ends.
Some of the words can also create misleading combinations. For example, regards, wishes, cheers, and thanks may initially look like greetings or expressions, which can send you toward an incorrect group.
How to Solve NYT Connections More Easily
When playing NYT Connections, begin with the most obvious relationship rather than trying to solve the hardest category immediately. Look for four words that form a very specific connection.
If several words appear to belong together, ask whether they share a more precise theme. For today’s puzzle, checking word endings is particularly important because the purple group hides famous surnames inside longer words.
Remember that you can make only four mistakes. Before submitting a group, make sure all four words fit the same idea and that another word does not fit the category better.
Conclusion
Today’s NYT Connections combines synonyms, competitive language, famous groups of three, and clever celebrity wordplay. The yellow group covers words meaning to follow rules, while the green group focuses on outperforming others.
The blue category brings together things associated with the number three, while the purple group hides the surnames of actors named Tom.
If you missed the final category, the key was to look beyond the meanings of the words and examine their endings. Once Cruise, Hardy, Holland, and Hanks become visible, the final group falls into place.
