NYT Connections #1231 for October 24, 2026 has four color groups and sixteen tiles.
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Select a color to see its clue, or use the answer section for the complete solution. Definitions and explanations follow in their own section.
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Connections hints (no spoilers)
Yellow
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Long, narrow forms, or a loop with a twist
Green
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Objects supported by a narrow handle
Blue
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Formats for advertisements on websites or in apps
Purple
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Words that can precede the same short word
Connections answers — October 24, 2026
Yellow Long, narrow forms, or a loop with a twist Reveal group Hide group
KINDS OF STRIPS
- BACON
- COMIC
- FILM
- MÖBIUS
Each tile supplies a different kind of strip: strips of BACON, a COMIC strip, a strip of photographic FILM and a MÖBIUS strip. A comic strip tells a story through drawings; a filmstrip carries images for projection as still pictures; a Möbius strip is a band with one side and one boundary edge. The shared word connects food, drawn stories, photography and mathematics without requiring one material or shape.
Read this group’s word explanationsGreen Objects supported by a narrow handle Reveal group Hide group
THINGS ON STICKS
- HOBBY HORSE
- PINWHEEL
- POPSICLE
- SPARKLER
These are things commonly mounted on a stick or rod. A hobby horse is a toy horse head on a stick, a pinwheel spins on a stick, a popsicle is a frozen treat on a stick, and a sparkler is a hand-held firework on a stick. The shared feature is the stick, not the occasion or material.
Read this group’s word explanationsBlue Formats for advertisements on websites or in apps Reveal group Hide group
ONLINE AD FORMATS
- BANNER
- INTERSTITIAL
- OVERLAY
- POP-UP
Each tile names an online advertising format. A BANNER occupies a rectangular part of a layout; an INTERSTITIAL appears during a transition, such as between pages or app screens; an OVERLAY appears above existing content; a POP-UP brings up an advertisement in a window over the one in use. These labels describe presentation and can overlap: an interstitial may also use an overlay.
Read this group’s word explanationsPurple Words that can precede the same short word Reveal group Hide group
___ BAR
- CANDY
- SALAD
- SPACE
- SPORTS
Each answer can come before the word bar. A candy bar is a chocolate or sweet treat, a salad bar is a self-service station for salad ingredients, a space bar is the long key on a keyboard, and a sports bar is a venue for watching games and drinking. The shared word is not shown in the grid, so the connection depends on supplying it.
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
KINDS OF STRIPS
Each tile supplies a different kind of strip: strips of BACON, a COMIC strip, a strip of photographic FILM and a MÖBIUS strip. A comic strip tells a story through drawings; a filmstrip carries images for projection as still pictures; a Möbius strip is a band with one side and one boundary edge. The shared word connects food, drawn stories, photography and mathematics without requiring one material or shape.
- BACON
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Bacon is often sold and cooked in long, thin slices called strips, so it fits the strip theme through its common physical form.
- COMIC
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A comic strip is a short series of drawn panels read in sequence, usually in newspapers or online; the word strip is built into the format's name.
- FILM
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FILM supplies a strip of photographic film. The related word filmstrip specifically means a sequence of images on film projected as still pictures; it should not be defined as a moving-picture format.
- MÖBIUS
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A Möbius strip is a loop made by giving a band a half twist before joining its ends, leaving a surface with one side and one edge.
Green
THINGS ON STICKS
These are things commonly mounted on a stick or rod. A hobby horse is a toy horse head on a stick, a pinwheel spins on a stick, a popsicle is a frozen treat on a stick, and a sparkler is a hand-held firework on a stick. The shared feature is the stick, not the occasion or material.
- HOBBY HORSE
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A hobby horse is a toy consisting of a horse's head on a stick that a child straddles and pretends to ride.
- PINWHEEL
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A pinwheel is a toy with curved vanes that spin when blown on or held into the wind, typically mounted on a stick.
- POPSICLE
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A popsicle is a frozen flavored ice treat on a stick. The stick supports the ice while you hold it, giving the tile its place in this group.
- SPARKLER
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A sparkler is a hand-held firework that gives off sparks while burning; it is mounted on a thin stick used as a handle.
Blue
ONLINE AD FORMATS
Each tile names an online advertising format. A BANNER occupies a rectangular part of a layout; an INTERSTITIAL appears during a transition, such as between pages or app screens; an OVERLAY appears above existing content; a POP-UP brings up an advertisement in a window over the one in use. These labels describe presentation and can overlap: an interstitial may also use an overlay.
- BANNER
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A BANNER ad occupies a rectangular portion of a layout. For example, an app can anchor one at the top or bottom of the screen. The advertising sense fits here, rather than a cloth sign.
- INTERSTITIAL
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An INTERSTITIAL ad appears at a transition in content. Between-page advertising is one example; app interstitials can fill the screen at a natural break such as between game levels. It is not restricted to a new web page loading.
- OVERLAY
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An OVERLAY ad appears over existing page content without changing the page's layout. The word describes the layering; it does not rule out a placement that stays fixed at the edge of the screen.
- POP-UP
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A POP-UP ad appears in a window over the one already in use. Read the tile as an advertisement appearing on a computer screen, rather than a temporary shop or a page in a children's book.
Purple
___ BAR
Each answer can come before the word bar. A candy bar is a chocolate or sweet treat, a salad bar is a self-service station for salad ingredients, a space bar is the long key on a keyboard, and a sports bar is a venue for watching games and drinking. The shared word is not shown in the grid, so the connection depends on supplying it.
- CANDY
-
A candy bar is a bar-shaped confection, usually chocolate or a similar sweet, sold as a single portion.
- SALAD
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A salad bar is a buffet-style counter where diners assemble a salad from offered ingredients.
- SPACE
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The space bar is the long horizontal key on a keyboard used to insert spaces between words.
- SPORTS
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A sports bar is a bar or pub that shows televised games and caters to fans watching them.
How difficult is this puzzle?
This board looks approachable at first because several tiles suggest familiar everyday objects, but the overlaps are what make it tricky. POP-UP and BANNER can sound like things you see in a browser, while CANDY and SPORTS invite a quick guess at a shared suffix. The yellow group is likely the easiest entry point for many solvers, since the strip idea is fairly concrete once one member clicks. The green group asks you to notice a shared physical setup rather than a shared topic, which can take a moment. The blue group is vocabulary-heavy and may reward readers who know web advertising terms. The purple group is the most likely to be solved last, because the missing word is not shown and each tile pulls toward its own literal sense. These are editorial impressions, not measured solve rates.
More Connections answers
Frequently asked questions
What are the four Connections categories for October 24, 2026?
The groups are kinds of strips (yellow), things on sticks (green), online ad formats (blue), and words that can precede bar (purple). Each group contains four tiles, and the colors follow the usual order from yellow through purple.
Why does MÖBIUS belong with BACON, COMIC, and FILM?
They all combine with strip. BACON supplies thin slices, COMIC supplies a sequence of drawings, FILM supplies photographic film and MÖBIUS supplies the one-sided twisted band. A filmstrip projects still pictures; the connection does not require all four strips to have one shape or material.
How do HOBBY HORSE, PINWHEEL, POPSICLE, and SPARKLER connect?
Each is commonly mounted on a stick. A hobby horse is a toy horse head on a stick, a pinwheel spins on a stick, a popsicle is a frozen treat on a stick, and a sparkler is a hand-held firework on a stick.
What do BANNER, INTERSTITIAL, OVERLAY, and POP-UP have in common?
They name online advertising formats: a rectangular banner, an interstitial at a content transition, an overlay above existing content and a pop-up window. Interstitials also occur between app screens, and the formats are not mutually exclusive: an interstitial can appear as an overlay.
What word completes CANDY, SALAD, SPACE, and SPORTS?
The word is bar. Candy bar, salad bar, space bar, and sports bar are all established compounds, and the missing word is not shown among the tiles.
What can I check if the purple group is not clicking?
Try putting BAR after each remaining tile and test the complete expression: CANDY BAR, SALAD BAR, SPACE BAR and SPORTS BAR. The rule covers a sweet, a food counter, a keyboard key and a drinking venue. You do not need all four words to name the same kind of object.
Sources & further reading
Sources & further reading
- The New York Times — Connections
- Merriam-Webster — bacon
- Merriam-Webster — comic strip
- Merriam-Webster — filmstrip
- Merriam-Webster — Möbius strip
- Wolfram MathWorld — Möbius Strip
- Merriam-Webster — hobbyhorse
- Merriam-Webster — pinwheel
- Merriam-Webster — Popsicle
- Collins — sparkler
- Google Developers — banner ads
- Google Developers — interstitial ads
- Google AdSense Help — overlay formats
- IAB UK — between-the-page advertising
- Collins — pop-up
- Collins — candy bar
- Merriam-Webster — salad bar
- Merriam-Webster — space bar
- Merriam-Webster — sports bar