Working on NYT Connections #1227 for October 20, 2026? Choose a gentle clue below when you need a nudge, then reveal more only when you want it.
The four answer groups stay in a closed panel. You can check the solution there without opening the separate explanation of every word.
If a promising set does not quite fit, test the same relationship against all four entries before using another guess. The detailed walkthrough is available behind its own spoiler control.
Playing The Athletic's sports puzzle? Sports Edition hints and explanations.
Connections hints (no spoilers)
Yellow
Show hint Hide hint
Bring an activity to its conclusion.
Green
Show hint Hide hint
Someone else is pulling the strings.
Blue
Show hint Hide hint
Different looks just above the upper lip.
Purple
Show hint Hide hint
Say the entries aloud and imagine an animated cast.
Connections answers — October 20, 2026
Yellow Bring an activity to its conclusion. Reveal group Hide group
FINISH
- CLOSE
- END
- STOP
- WRAP
Read all four as verbs meaning to finish an activity. You can close a meeting, end a discussion, stop a performance, or wrap a production. WRAP uses the sense found in 'that's a wrap,' rather than covering something in paper.
Read this group’s word explanationsGreen Someone else is pulling the strings. Reveal group Hide group
LACKEY
Each word can describe a person who serves or is controlled by someone else. POODLE and PUPPET have figurative human meanings here: the connection does not require a literal dog or toy. These are critical or dismissive descriptions, rather than neutral job titles.
Read this group’s word explanationsBlue Different looks just above the upper lip. Reveal group Hide group
MUSTACHES
- CHEVRON
- HORSESHOE
- PENCIL
- WALRUS
These are four named mustache styles, distinguished by the shape and fullness of the facial hair. WALRUS is a style name here; pairing it with POODLE simply because both can name animals would leave this relationship behind.
Read this group’s word explanationsPurple Say the entries aloud and imagine an animated cast. Reveal group Hide group
HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS
- ARIAL
- BELL
- DOCK
- MINI
The intended sound-alike pairs are ARIAL/Ariel, BELL/Belle, DOCK/Doc, and MINI/Minnie. Ariel is from The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Doc is one of Snow White's seven dwarfs, and Minnie is Minnie Mouse. The spellings on the tiles stay unchanged.
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
FINISH
Read all four as verbs meaning to finish an activity. You can close a meeting, end a discussion, stop a performance, or wrap a production. WRAP uses the sense found in 'that's a wrap,' rather than covering something in paper.
- CLOSE
-
To CLOSE a meeting or event is to bring it to a conclusion. The group uses that verb sense, rather than the adjective meaning nearby.
- END
-
To END an activity is to finish it or bring it to a conclusion. Here the entry is a verb, rather than the noun for its final part.
- STOP
-
To STOP an activity is to bring it to a halt. That finishing sense fits alongside the other verbs, even though a stop can sometimes be temporary.
- WRAP
-
To WRAP a production or piece of work is to finish it. Think of 'that's a wrap,' rather than the covering or sandwich senses of the word.
Green
LACKEY
Each word can describe a person who serves or is controlled by someone else. POODLE and PUPPET have figurative human meanings here: the connection does not require a literal dog or toy. These are critical or dismissive descriptions, rather than neutral job titles.
- MINION
-
A MINION is a subordinate or follower who carries out someone else's wishes. That human lackey sense fits, rather than a particular animated character.
- POODLE
-
In a figurative British-English sense, a POODLE is a servile follower or lackey. The intended sense describes a person doing another's bidding, rather than the dog breed.
- PUPPET
-
A PUPPET can be a person controlled by someone else. The figurative sense makes the person another's instrument, rather than an independent decision-maker.
- STOOGE
-
A STOOGE can be a person used by someone else to carry out a purpose. The lackey meaning fits here, rather than a member of a comedy act.
Blue
MUSTACHES
These are four named mustache styles, distinguished by the shape and fullness of the facial hair. WALRUS is a style name here; pairing it with POODLE simply because both can name animals would leave this relationship behind.
- CHEVRON
-
A CHEVRON mustache has a broad, chevron-shaped outline over the upper lip. The tile identifies a facial-hair style rather than a badge or symbol.
- HORSESHOE
-
A HORSESHOE mustache has downward extensions at both sides of the mouth. Its distinctive outline supplies the style name used in this group.
- PENCIL
-
A PENCIL mustache is a very thin strip of facial hair above the upper lip. The group needs the style name, rather than a writing instrument.
- WALRUS
-
A WALRUS mustache is thick and bushy, with hair hanging over the upper lip. Here WALRUS describes that facial-hair style rather than the marine animal.
Purple
HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS
The intended sound-alike pairs are ARIAL/Ariel, BELL/Belle, DOCK/Doc, and MINI/Minnie. Ariel is from The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Doc is one of Snow White's seven dwarfs, and Minnie is Minnie Mouse. The spellings on the tiles stay unchanged.
- ARIAL
-
ARIAL, the typeface name, supplies the intended sound-alike for Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid. The connection works by pronunciation rather than spelling.
- BELL
-
BELL sounds like Belle, the character from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The final silent letter in the character's name is absent from the tile.
- DOCK
-
DOCK sounds like Doc, one of the seven dwarfs in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The extra written K does not change the intended sound.
- MINI
-
MINI sounds like Minnie, as in Disney's Minnie Mouse. The tile and the character name have different spellings but supply the intended sound-alike pair.
How difficult is this puzzle?
Our editorial impression is that the familiar verbs offer an accessible starting point, while the figurative person-descriptions require a change of meaning. The mustache group can be harder if those style names are unfamiliar. The final quartet asks you to listen to the entries rather than interpret their usual written meanings.
More Connections answers
Frequently asked questions
What are the four groups in Connections #1227?
The October 20, 2026 groups are FINISH; LACKEY; MUSTACHES; and HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS. Each has four entries, shown in the answer panel.
Why does POODLE belong with MINION rather than WALRUS?
POODLE has a figurative sense meaning a servile follower or lackey. That is the shared human description in the green group; WALRUS is used as a mustache style in blue.
Which Disney names do the purple tiles sound like?
The intended pairs are ARIAL and Ariel, BELL and Belle, DOCK and Doc, and MINI and Minnie. Use the original tile spellings when checking the board.
How does WRAP fit the FINISH group?
WRAP can mean to finish work, as in wrapping a production or saying 'that's a wrap.' The category uses that sense, rather than wrapping an object in a covering.