The Monday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #1226, serving up a grid that rewards flexible definitions, everyday recognition, and a close look at spelling. The strongest early associations deserve a second check before you commit.
What Makes Connections Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist? You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Since its June 2023 launch, Connections has carved out its niche in the Times' puzzle ecosystem, standing alongside Wordle and the crossword as a daily ritual for millions of players worldwide. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #1226:
MOHAWK | MUFFIN | HOT AIR | BALLOON
RAVE | WIND | FLURRY | STEAM
GAS | RIB | FUME | ALIBIS
BOIL | BLATHER | ESCROW | NUGGETS
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about what happens when someone loses their composure.
Green Category Clue: Consider whether someone's impressive speech has any substance behind it.
Blue Category Hint: Picture the choices available during a quick stop for something to eat.
Purple Category Teaser: Set aside whole-word meanings and inspect the final letters.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Seethe): BOIL, FUME, RAVE, STEAM
BOIL, FUME, RAVE, and STEAM form SEETHE, drawing on language for anger and its expression. RAVE needs its ranting sense here, while the heat suggested by BOIL and STEAM makes HOT AIR a tempting distraction.
Green (All Talk): BLATHER, GAS, HOT AIR, WIND
BLATHER, GAS, HOT AIR, and WIND belong to ALL TALK, describing empty or excessive speech. BLATHER anchors that reading, helping pull the other three away from their physical meanings.
Blue ("MC" Things At McDonald's): FLURRY, MUFFIN, NUGGETS, RIB
FLURRY, MUFFIN, NUGGETS, and RIB become McDonald's menu names when you restore their shared prefix: McFlurry, McMuffin, McNuggets, and McRib. FLURRY also suggests weather, giving it a distracting connection to WIND.
Purple (Ending In Birds): ALIBIS, BALLOON, ESCROW, MOHAWK
ALIBIS ends in IBIS, BALLOON in LOON, ESCROW in CROW, and MOHAWK in HAWK. Those bird names explain ENDING IN BIRDS, a spelling connection hidden beneath unrelated whole-word meanings.
The Verdict
The menu group offers the clearest opening if the shared prefix clicks. MUFFIN, NUGGETS, and RIB provide a concrete foothold for recognizing FLURRY.
The central trap is the physical association between BOIL, STEAM, GAS, and HOT AIR, which crosses the anger and empty-speech groups. Sorting by figurative meaning is the decisive move.
Purple is the strongest streak test because recognizing the words' meanings offers little help. Finding IBIS inside ALIBIS supplies the foothold for checking the other endings.
Reset and Repeat
Carry today's hidden bird endings into tomorrow as a useful reminder to inspect spelling when meanings stop helping. Come back for a fresh grid and another chance to spot the detail that unlocks it.
For now, puzzle #1226 is solved. See you at midnight for the next round.