NYT Connections Hints for October 15, 2026 — Puzzle #1222

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

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1222 on October 15, 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 15, 2026 (2026-10-15) · #1222 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-10-15.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:

W _ _ _ T _ P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F _ _ _
T _ _ _ _ _ Y _ _ C _ _ S _ _ _ _ I _ S _ _ _ _ _
L _ _ _ _ _ P _ _ _
L _ _ L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W _ _ _ A L _ _ _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD

Show theme 2

THINGS YOU CAN SCORE IN SPORTS

Show theme 3

LOWEST PART

Show theme 4

LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED

NYT Connections answer for October 15, 2026 — puzzle #1222

WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD

SMOKE, DRY, PICKLE, CURE

THINGS YOU CAN SCORE IN SPORTS

BASKET, RUN, GOAL, TOUCHDOWN

LOWEST PART

FOOT, BASE, FOUNDATION, BOTTOM

LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED

VOLLEY, CANNON, FORGE, RACINE

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