NYT Connections Hints for October 14, 2026 — Puzzle #1221

Sixteen words, four hidden categories. Hints reveal structure, then the grouping.

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1221 on October 14, 2026: how many groups there are, a masked theme for each group, then the four categories one at a time, then all sixteen words and the full grouping.

Puzzle date: October 14, 2026 (2026-10-14) · #1221 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-10-14.json). Hints are derived from that day's verified answer data — no invented clues, difficulty scores or word claims.

1. The shape of the puzzle

There are 4 categories of 4 words each (16 words total).

2. The four themes, masked

Each theme below keeps its word shapes and the first letter of every word:

H _ _ _
T _ _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ T _ _
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ F _ _ F _ F _ F _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

HINT

Show theme 2

TENNIS SHOTS

Show theme 3

SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE"

Show theme 4

STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM"

NYT Connections answer for October 14, 2026 — puzzle #1221

HINT

SUGGESTION, FLICKER, TRACE, WHIFF

TENNIS SHOTS

SERVE, SMASH, SLICE, VOLLEY

SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE"

THING, FLASH, HULK, PUNISHER

STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM"

FEED, FIERY, FOMENT, FUMBLE

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