This guide covers NYT Connections #1222 for October 15, 2026. Open a clue below when you need a nudge.
Check each proposed quartet against one precise relationship before committing. A promising pair is only a starting point.
Open the hints at your own pace. Stop when you have enough help, or reveal the answer panels when you are ready for the full explanations.
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Connections hints (no spoilers)
Yellow
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Methods used to make ingredients keep longer.
Green
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Different scoring outcomes on a field or court.
Blue
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The supporting or lowermost section of something.
Purple
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Alter one letter to reveal a depression in the landscape.
Connections answers — October 15, 2026
Yellow Methods used to make ingredients keep longer. Reveal group Hide group
WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD
- CURE
- DRY
- PICKLE
- SMOKE
These verbs name methods used to preserve food. Each has a food-processing meaning, which connects them even though the methods use different treatments such as removing moisture or adding preserving ingredients.
Read this group’s word explanationsGreen Different scoring outcomes on a field or court. Reveal group Hide group
THINGS YOU CAN SCORE IN SPORTS
- BASKET
- GOAL
- RUN
- TOUCHDOWN
These are things players can score in different sports. The category concerns the named scoring result, so it does not require each result to be worth the same number of points.
Read this group’s word explanationsBlue The supporting or lowermost section of something. Reveal group Hide group
LOWEST PART
- BASE
- BOTTOM
- FOOT
- FOUNDATION
These words can refer to the lowest or supporting part of something. The relevant senses are positional or structural, rather than a military installation, a body part in isolation, or a charitable organization.
Read this group’s word explanationsPurple Alter one letter to reveal a depression in the landscape. Reveal group Hide group
LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED
- CANNON
- FORGE
- RACINE
- VOLLEY
Change one letter in each tile to get a low landform: CANNON becomes CANYON, FORGE becomes GORGE, RACINE becomes RAVINE, and VOLLEY becomes VALLEY. No letters are added, removed, or rearranged.
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
WAYS TO PRESERVE FOOD
These verbs name methods used to preserve food. Each has a food-processing meaning, which connects them even though the methods use different treatments such as removing moisture or adding preserving ingredients.
- CURE
-
To CURE food is to preserve or treat it, commonly using salt or a curing mixture. This is the food-processing sense rather than healing an illness.
- DRY
-
To DRY food is to remove moisture as part of preservation. The verb fits a way of making ingredients keep longer, alongside the other food-processing actions.
- PICKLE
-
To PICKLE food is to preserve it in a suitable acidic liquid or brine. The preservation action connects it to the other cooking-related verbs.
- SMOKE
-
To SMOKE food is to expose it to smoke as part of processing or preservation. Its food-preparation meaning connects it to curing, drying, and pickling.
Green
THINGS YOU CAN SCORE IN SPORTS
These are things players can score in different sports. The category concerns the named scoring result, so it does not require each result to be worth the same number of points.
- BASKET
-
A BASKET is a scoring result in basketball. The tile is used for scoring through the hoop rather than a container for carrying objects.
- GOAL
-
A GOAL is a scoring result in sports such as soccer or hockey. Its role here is the sporting outcome rather than a general personal objective.
- RUN
-
A RUN is a scoring result in baseball and some other sports. The noun names what is scored rather than simply the action of running.
- TOUCHDOWN
-
A TOUCHDOWN is a scoring result in American football. It shares the broader relationship of something a player or team can score.
Blue
LOWEST PART
These words can refer to the lowest or supporting part of something. The relevant senses are positional or structural, rather than a military installation, a body part in isolation, or a charitable organization.
- BASE
-
The BASE of an object is its lowermost or supporting part. That structural sense connects it to the other entries rather than a sports station or military site.
- BOTTOM
-
The BOTTOM is the lowest part or surface of something. It expresses the same position-focused relationship as the other three tiles.
- FOOT
-
The FOOT of something can be its lower end or base, as with a hill or a structure. The tile uses that extended positional sense rather than only a body part.
- FOUNDATION
-
A FOUNDATION is the supporting base on which something rests. Its structural meaning supplies the connection rather than a nonprofit organization.
Purple
LOW LANDFORMS WITH A LETTER CHANGED
Change one letter in each tile to get a low landform: CANNON becomes CANYON, FORGE becomes GORGE, RACINE becomes RAVINE, and VOLLEY becomes VALLEY. No letters are added, removed, or rearranged.
- CANNON
-
Change the fourth letter of CANNON from N to Y to make CANYON. The six-letter result names a deep valley, often with steep sides.
- FORGE
-
Change the first letter of FORGE from F to G to make GORGE. The five-letter result names a narrow, steep-sided valley.
- RACINE
-
Change the third letter of RACINE from C to V to make RAVINE. The six-letter result names a deep, narrow hollow or valley.
- VOLLEY
-
Change the second letter of VOLLEY from O to A to make VALLEY. The six-letter result names a low area between higher ground.
How difficult is this puzzle?
Our editorial assessment is that the purple group is hardest because each tile must be compared with a different word under the same one-letter rule. The more literal groups offer useful starting points, but the final spelling checks should be exact.
More Connections answers
Frequently asked questions
How does CANNON become a low landform?
Replace its fourth letter N with Y to get CANYON. It is one substitution, with no added or removed letters and no rearrangement.
What change turns RACINE into the purple answer?
Replace the third letter C with V to make RAVINE. The relationship depends on spelling, so identifying a person or place named Racine is unnecessary.
How do FORGE and VOLLEY fit the same rule?
FORGE changes its first letter F to G to make GORGE. VOLLEY changes its second letter O to A to make VALLEY. Each uses exactly one substitution.
Do all green-group scores have the same point value?
No. BASKET, GOAL, RUN, and TOUCHDOWN are named scoring outcomes in different sports. Their shared category does not assert equal numerical values.
Sources & further reading
Sources & further reading
- The New York Times — Connections
- Merriam-Webster: canyon
- Merriam-Webster: gorge
- Merriam-Webster: ravine