If you’re looking for the October 7 Connections hints and answers, we’ve got you covered right here:

Hey there, Connectors! I hope you’ve had a great week so far!

I play video games pretty often, both for work and for fun. My partner said she’s interested in trying some, but hasn’t really played games since she was a kid, so I’m trying to figure out how best to ease her in.

A 3D game that requires you to move the camera around using a second joystick or mouse feels like it might be overwhelming for a newcomer, so something with fewer controls may be a wiser choice. Right now, I’m thinking something like Mario Kart World might fit the bill. I’m hoping to get her interested in the brilliant Overcooked games as well, even if that might lead to our first argument. This journey should be interesting, regardless!

Before we start, we’ve got a lovely community on Discord , where we chat about Connections , the rest of the NYT games and all kinds of things. You’re more than welcome to join us!

Also, my weekend editions of this column are available over on my newsletter, Pastimes . I sometimes write about other things that are on my mind there as well.

Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, October 8 are coming right up. Let’s get rolling!

Connections is a free New York Times daily word game that you can play on the NYT ’s website or Games app. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the Connections archive, which includes every previous game.

Connections presents you with a grid of 16 words (sometimes phrases, symbols or numbers). The aim is to arrange them into four groups of four. You don’t know how they hit together or what the category for each group is: that’s what you have to figure out.

There’s only one correct solution and there are often red herrings. You can guess incorrectly three times. A fourth wrong guess, and it’s game over.

Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to deduce, followed by green, blue and purple. Often, the yellow and green groups have synonyms, the blues have cultural references and the purples have some kind of wordplay involved. But this is not a hard and fast rule. Be ready for curveballs – part of the fun of Connections is in how the NYT shakes things up to keep you on your toes.

As with Wordle and similar games, it’s easy to share results with your friends using an emoji-based grid. The game tracks your progress too.

Many players take pride in having long win streaks or getting a reverse rainbow – correctly guessing the purple, blue, green and yellow groups in that order with no mistakes. That adds an extra little challenge.

Today’s NYT Connections Word List

After today’s Connections word list, I’ll give you a hint for each category. After that, I’ll reveal one word that goes into each group. Then I’ll reveal the categories, followed by the full answers.

  • FOOLHARDY
  • MINDS
  • THANKS
  • STOOGES
  • BEST
  • WISHES
  • REGARDS
  • ECLIPSE
  • CHEERS
  • MULHOLLAND
  • RESPECTS
  • STRIKES
  • TOP
  • AUTOCRUISE
  • HEEDS
  • SURPASS

Today’s NYT Connections Hints

The hints for today’s Connections categories are:

  • 🟨 Yellow group — not like those who go against the grain
  • 🟩 Green group — get a high score, for instance
  • 🟦 Blue group — e.g. good things, The Powerpuff Girls, primary colors
  • 🟪 Purple group — like swelling, evergreen, grasshopper and studebaker

One Answer For Each NYT Connections Group

Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory.

Let’s take a look at one answer for each group.

  • 🟨 Yellow group — RESPECTS
  • 🟩 Green group — TOP
  • 🟦 Blue group — STRIKES
  • 🟪 Purple group — MULHOLLAND

Today’s NYT Connections Categories

Today’s Connections groups are...

  • 🟨 Yellow group — follows, as rules
  • 🟩 Green group — outdo
  • 🟦 Blue group — things that come in threes
  • 🟪 Purple group — ending in actors named Tom

Today’s NYT Connections Answer

Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers.

This is your last chance to look away.

This is your final warning!

Today’s Connections answers are...

  • 🟨 Yellow group — follows, as rules (HEEDS, MINDS, REGARDS, RESPECTS)
  • 🟩 Green group — outdo (BEST, ECLIPSE, SURPASS, TOP)
  • 🟦 Blue group — things that come in threes (CHEERS, STOOGES, STRIKES, WISHES)
  • 🟪 Purple group — ending in actors named Tom (AUTOCRUISE, FOOLHARDY, MULHOLLAND, THANKS)

AUTOCRUISE gave the game away for the purples immediately for me. It took me a moment to realize THANKS was the fourth one I needed, even though Tom Hanks famously signs letters and social media posts with “T.Hanks.”

The greens were up next after ECLIPSE and SURPASS landed close to each other. STOOGES made me thing of The Three Stooges, which led me into the blues. That left a group of terms that might be relevant to any Goody Two-Shoes out there to lock in the yellows and a 585th win in a row.

How did you get on this time? Here’s my grid:

Want to know more about how everything fits together? Let’s explore today’s game in more depth in my NYT Connections Answers Explained column. You can check that out by visiting my author page .

Be sure to check my blog for hints and the answer for tomorrow’s game of Connections if you need them.

P.S. Since he recently announced his final tour, I’m going to serve up a Rod Stewart song. “Maggie May” might be my favorite of his:

Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Be kind to yourself and each other! Call someone you love!

Please follow my blog for more NYT Connections hints and help with other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. I’d really appreciate that as it helps me out. If you share this column with others who play Connections, that would be lovely too. You can also read my weekend editions of this column and more of my writing at my newsletter, Pastimes .