NYT Connections Hints for October 22, 2026 — Puzzle #1229

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

Hints and answers for NYT Connections #1229 on October 22, 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 22, 2026 (2026-10-22) · #1229 · Source: the game's public daily data (https://www.nytimes.com/svc/connections/v2/2026-10-22.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:

P _ _ _ _ T _ B _ G _ _ _ _ _ _
K _ _ _ _ O _ S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F _ _ _ _ _ _ _ P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S _ _ _ _ _ O _ B _ _ _ _ _ _

3. Reveal a theme, one at a time

Show theme 1

PARTS TO BE GRASPED

Show theme 2

KINDS OF SCULPTURES

Show theme 3

AMERICAN FOOTBALL POSITIONS

Show theme 4

STARTS OF BEDDING

NYT Connections answer for October 22, 2026 — puzzle #1229

PARTS TO BE GRASPED

GRIP, HANDLE, KNOB, HILT

KINDS OF SCULPTURES

MOBILE, RELIEF, BUST, STATUE

AMERICAN FOOTBALL POSITIONS

SAFETY, END, TACKLE, GUARD

STARTS OF BEDDING

COMFORT, BLANK, PILL, SHE

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