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Spoilers ahead. NYT Connections puzzle #1210, listed for Saturday, October 3, 2026, groups its 16 entries by phrase beginnings and endings. Start with the gentle hints below, then open the category labels and full answers only when you’re ready.

Hints for Connections #1210

Look at what appears at the beginning or end of each entry: the four groups use one of those positions rather than a shared theme across the whole phrase.

# Preview Product Price
1 Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay (New York Times Games Books) Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay (New York Times Games... $20.99 Buy on Amazon
2 Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books) Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books) $26.60 Buy on Amazon
3 4 Connections Puzzle Book: 200 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions. 4 Connections Puzzle Book: 200 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words... $9.99 Buy on Amazon
4 Connections Puzzles Book: A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions. Connections Puzzles Book: A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share... $9.99 Buy on Amazon
5 Connections Puzzles Book: 500 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions. Connections Puzzles Book: 500 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that... $12.99 Buy on Amazon
  • One group starts with terms associated with a toilet.
  • One group ends with titles of musicals.
  • One group starts with names of U.S. museums.
  • One group ends with fantasy creatures.

Category labels

The following labels reveal the category ideas without listing the full word groups:

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  • Yellow: starting with terms for “toilet”
  • Green: ending in musicals
  • Blue: starting with U.S. museums
  • Purple: ending in fantasy creatures

Full answers for Saturday, October 3

Three date-specific answer guides agree on the following assignments. These are secondary answer-guide solutions; official NYT category wording and puzzle metadata were not independently confirmed.

#1 Best Overall
Sale
Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay (New York Times Games Books)
Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay (New York Times Games Books)
$20.99
Buy on Amazon

Yellow — starting with terms for “toilet”

  • CAN OPENER
  • HEAD WAITER
  • JOHN DENVER
  • W.C. FIELDS

CAN, HEAD, JOHN, and W.C. are the opening terms.

Green — ending in musicals

  • ELBOW GREASE
  • FAT CATS
  • LINDA HAMILTON
  • SOMETHING WICKED

GREASE, CATS, HAMILTON, and WICKED are musical titles at the ends of the entries.

Blue — starting with U.S. museums

  • BROAD BEAN
  • GETTY IMAGES
  • MET HALFWAY
  • WHITNEY HOUSTON

BROAD, GETTY, MET, and WHITNEY point to museums at the beginnings of the entries.

Rank #2
Sale
Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)
Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)
$26.60
Buy on Amazon

Purple — ending in fantasy creatures

  • DIET SPRITE
  • MERV GRIFFIN
  • NY GIANT
  • RIVER PHOENIX

SPRITE, GRIFFIN, GIANT, and PHOENIX are the ending elements.

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Complete board

The 16 entries are WHITNEY HOUSTON, LINDA HAMILTON, RIVER PHOENIX, JOHN DENVER, GETTY IMAGES, ELBOW GREASE, CAN OPENER, SOMETHING WICKED, FAT CATS, HEAD WAITER, MERV GRIFFIN, BROAD BEAN, NY GIANT, MET HALFWAY, W.C. FIELDS, and DIET SPRITE.

Rank #3
4 Connections Puzzle Book: 200 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
4 Connections Puzzle Book: 200 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
$9.99
Buy on Amazon
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How the game works

GameDaily describes Connections as a game where players sort 16 words into four categories and can make four mistakes. That format description comes from GameDaily; the official NYT rule wording was not verified here.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1
Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay (New York Times Games Books)
Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay (New York Times Games Books)
$20.99
SaleBestseller No. 2
Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)
Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)
$26.60
Bestseller No. 3
4 Connections Puzzle Book: 200 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
4 Connections Puzzle Book: 200 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
$9.99
Bestseller No. 4
Connections Puzzles Book: A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
Connections Puzzles Book: A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
$9.99
Bestseller No. 5
Connections Puzzles Book: 500 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
Connections Puzzles Book: 500 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
$12.99
Best Value
Connections Puzzles Book: 500 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
Connections Puzzles Book: 500 Puzzles, A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
$12.99
Buy on Amazon
Rank #4
Connections Puzzles Book: A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
Connections Puzzles Book: A challenging game to generate four groups of four words that share something in common, Puzzles and Solutions.
$9.99
Buy on Amazon

Sources

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.