Connections #1215 for October 8, 2026 includes entries that can change character when read in a different grammatical role. Familiar vocabulary does not always point to its most familiar association.
Build a possible set around one precise rule, then check that the rule fits every member. If one tile seems to need an exception, leave the set open while you test another interpretation.
The gentle clues below let you choose how much help to reveal. Open the answer panels for the complete groups and a clear explanation of each entry.
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Connections hints (no spoilers)
Yellow
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Observes or complies with an instruction.
Green
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Go beyond a rival or an earlier achievement.
Blue
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A familiar small number goes with each of these.
Purple
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The last letters match film stars sharing a first name.
Connections answers — October 8, 2026
Yellow Observes or complies with an instruction. Reveal group Hide group
FOLLOWS, AS RULES
- HEEDS
- MINDS
- REGARDS
- RESPECTS
These verbs can mean follows or observes, as one does with rules. The connection uses their compliance-related senses; MINDS is not a noun here, and REGARDS is not a greeting.
Read this group’s word explanationsGreen Go beyond a rival or an earlier achievement. Reveal group Hide group
OUTDO
- BEST
- ECLIPSE
- SURPASS
- TOP
Each tile can be a verb meaning to outdo or exceed something. BEST and TOP need that verb reading, while ECLIPSE uses its figurative sense rather than referring to an astronomical event.
Read this group’s word explanationsBlue A familiar small number goes with each of these. Reveal group Hide group
THINGS THAT COME IN THREES
- CHEERS
- STOOGES
- STRIKES
- WISHES
These have familiar associations with three: three cheers, The Three Stooges, three strikes for a baseball strikeout, and three wishes in a fairy-tale convention. The connection is conventional, not a claim that each thing always occurs exactly three times.
Read this group’s word explanationsPurple The last letters match film stars sharing a first name. Reveal group Hide group
ENDING IN ACTORS NAMED TOM
- AUTOCRUISE
- FOOLHARDY
- MULHOLLAND
- THANKS
The literal endings are CRUISE, HARDY, HOLLAND and HANKS, giving Tom Cruise, Tom Hardy, Tom Holland and Tom Hanks. The last one crosses the ordinary reading of THANKS: it divides as T + HANKS.
Read this group’s word explanationsWhy these words fit
Read explanations
Full spoilers below: a closer look at every group and the wordplay behind it.
Yellow
FOLLOWS, AS RULES
These verbs can mean follows or observes, as one does with rules. The connection uses their compliance-related senses; MINDS is not a noun here, and REGARDS is not a greeting.
- HEEDS
-
HEEDS means pays attention to and acts on advice or an instruction. That observant sense matches following a rule rather than merely noticing that it exists.
- MINDS
-
MINDS means obeys or pays attention to, as in minding a rule. Read it as a verb, not the plural noun for people's thoughts or intellects.
- REGARDS
-
REGARDS can mean pays attention to or observes. That is the rule-following sense intended here, rather than regards sent as a greeting.
- RESPECTS
-
RESPECTS can mean observes a rule or restriction. It refers to complying with a requirement, rather than simply feeling admiration for someone.
Green
OUTDO
Each tile can be a verb meaning to outdo or exceed something. BEST and TOP need that verb reading, while ECLIPSE uses its figurative sense rather than referring to an astronomical event.
- BEST
-
BEST means defeat or get the better of someone when used as a verb. It is not the adjective for the finest item in this group.
- ECLIPSE
-
ECLIPSE can mean surpass or outshine an earlier performance or a rival. The figurative verb, rather than an astronomical event, supplies the link.
- SURPASS
-
SURPASS means go beyond or exceed something in achievement or quality. It expresses the same outdoing action as the other verbs.
- TOP
-
TOP means exceed or do better than something, as in topping a previous result. The tile is a verb here rather than a noun for an upper part.
Blue
THINGS THAT COME IN THREES
These have familiar associations with three: three cheers, The Three Stooges, three strikes for a baseball strikeout, and three wishes in a fairy-tale convention. The connection is conventional, not a claim that each thing always occurs exactly three times.
- CHEERS
-
CHEERS fits the expression THREE CHEERS, a customary call of celebration. The phrase supplies the number connection rather than a rule for every occasion of cheering.
- STOOGES
-
STOOGES points to THE THREE STOOGES, the familiar comedy-trio name. The number in that name provides the connection without requiring a claim about every performer in its history.
- STRIKES
-
STRIKES fits THREE STRIKES, the count that produces a batter's strikeout in baseball. The group uses that recognizable association, not every use of the word STRIKES.
- WISHES
-
WISHES fits THREE WISHES, a familiar fairy-tale pattern. It is a storytelling convention rather than a claim that all stories grant the same number.
Purple
ENDING IN ACTORS NAMED TOM
The literal endings are CRUISE, HARDY, HOLLAND and HANKS, giving Tom Cruise, Tom Hardy, Tom Holland and Tom Hanks. The last one crosses the ordinary reading of THANKS: it divides as T + HANKS.
- AUTOCRUISE
-
AUTOCRUISE ends with CRUISE: AUTO + CRUISE. Restoring the shared first name gives Tom Cruise; the full tile does not need to denote an actor.
- FOOLHARDY
-
FOOLHARDY ends with HARDY: FOOL + HARDY. The surname yields Tom Hardy when paired with the common first name used by this set.
- MULHOLLAND
-
MULHOLLAND ends with HOLLAND: MUL + HOLLAND. The final seven letters supply Tom Holland's surname, regardless of the full tile's surface reference.
- THANKS
-
THANKS ends with HANKS: T + HANKS. The group uses those final five letters to recover Tom Hanks, rather than splitting the word according to its ordinary meaning.
How difficult is this puzzle?
The verb groups can be approachable once the intended senses are clear. The other sets ask for a conventional phrase or a literal word ending, which can be less obvious if you keep reading each tile only as a complete word.
More Connections answers
Frequently asked questions
How can BEST and TOP both mean outdo?
Both can be verbs. To BEST a rival is to defeat them, and to TOP a result is to exceed it. Their noun or adjective readings would hide this connection.
Why does REGARDS belong with rule-following verbs?
REGARDS can mean pays attention to or observes. That sense fits following rules; the tile is not using the greeting found at the end of a letter.
Where is Tom Hanks hidden in THANKS?
THANKS divides as T + HANKS. Its last five letters are the actor's surname, and the shared first name TOM is supplied by the category.
Which Tom surnames end the purple-group tiles?
AUTOCRUISE ends in CRUISE, FOOLHARDY in HARDY, MULHOLLAND in HOLLAND and THANKS in HANKS. The actor names are Tom Cruise, Tom Hardy, Tom Holland and Tom Hanks.
Does the threes group make a universal claim?
No. It groups familiar expressions and conventions: three cheers, The Three Stooges, three strikes and three wishes. It does not mean every occurrence must come in a set of three.