Welcome back for another daily breakdown of the New York Times Connections puzzle. If you are navigating the grid for Monday, October 26, we have all the clues, group categories, and full answers ready to guide you through.

For those new to the daily word challenge, Connections challenges players with a 16-word grid that must be meticulously sorted into four distinct groups of four. Each group is color-coded by difficulty—yellow, green, blue, and purple—ranging from straightforward synonyms to complex wordplay and cultural references. You have up to four allowable mistakes before the game ends, adding high stakes to your sorting strategy.

Today's NYT Connections Word List

The 16 terms featured in today's puzzle are:

  • WELCOME
  • HALLOWEEK
  • CHILLING
  • TOY
  • YOGA
  • JAWN
  • SPORTING
  • PRAYER
  • PSYCHS
  • HOUND
  • MANAGING
  • WRESTLING
  • SAME OLD
  • HOSTED
  • HERDING
  • NOT BAD

Today's NYT Connections Hints

To help you crack the board without spoiling everything immediately, here are conceptual clues for each category:

  • 🟨 Yellow group: Frequently spoken within the first few seconds of a casual phone conversation.
  • 🟩 Green group: Variations of surfaces or mats.
  • 🟦 Blue group: Classifications within a specific pedigree organization.
  • 🟪 Purple group: Modified horror movie titles featuring altered final letters.

One Answer For Each NYT Connections Group

If you need a bit more assistance, here is one definitive term assigned to each of the four categories:

  • 🟨 Yellow group: MANAGING
  • 🟩 Green group: YOGA
  • 🟦 Blue group: TOY
  • 🟪 Purple group: HALLOWEEK

Today's NYT Connections Categories

The official thematic groupings for today's puzzle are:

  • 🟨 Yellow group: Responses to “how are you?”
  • 🟩 Green group: Kinds of mats
  • 🟦 Blue group: AKC dog breed groups
  • 🟪 Purple group: Horror movies with last letter changed

Today's Full NYT Connections Answers

Warning: Spoilers ahead. Here is the complete breakdown of today's solved groups:

  • 🟨 Yellow group: Responses to “how are you?” (CHILLING, MANAGING, NOT BAD, SAME OLD)
  • 🟩 Green group: Kinds of mats (PRAYER, WELCOME, WRESTLING, YOGA)
  • 🟦 Blue group: AKC dog breed groups (HERDING, HOUND, SPORTING, TOY)
  • 🟪 Purple group: Horror movies with last letter changed (HALLOWEEK, HOSTED, JAWN, PSYCHS)

Solving today's board required careful navigation, particularly with the clever wordplay hidden in the purple category. Whether you maintained a long winning streak or narrowly avoided a strikeout, check back daily for more puzzle insights, solutions, and strategic guides.