NYT Connections Hints for October 20, 2026 — Puzzle #1227

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

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1227 on October 20, 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 20, 2026 (2026-10-20) · #1227 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-10-20.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:

F _ _ _ _ _
L _ _ _ _ _
M _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
H _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ O _ D _ _ _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

FINISH

Show theme 2

LACKEY

Show theme 3

MUSTACHES

Show theme 4

HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS

NYT Connections answer for October 20, 2026 — puzzle #1227

FINISH

WRAP, CLOSE, STOP, END

LACKEY

POODLE, MINION, PUPPET, STOOGE

MUSTACHES

CHEVRON, PENCIL, WALRUS, HORSESHOE

HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS

DOCK, BELL, MINI, ARIAL

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