NYT Connections #1237 for October 30, 2026 has four color groups and sixteen tiles.
Clues and answers are tucked inside separate closed panels, so you can choose how much help to reveal.
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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Equipment used to frame, illuminate and capture a photograph.
Green
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Scenery, coverings and spaces near the performance area.
Blue
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Put one shared word before each tile to make a familiar expression.
Purple
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Replace only the opening letter to turn each tile into something edible.
Connections answers — October 30, 2026
Yellow Equipment used to frame, illuminate and capture a photograph. Reveal group Hide group
PARTS OF A CAMERA
- FLASH
- LENS
- SHUTTER
- VIEWFINDER
These terms name familiar camera equipment with different jobs. FLASH supplies a brief burst of light, LENS focuses light to form an image, SHUTTER controls the passage of light for an exposure, and VIEWFINDER shows the area that will be included in the picture. Read each as photographic equipment rather than a news bulletin, an eye part or a window covering.
Read this group’s word explanationsGreen Scenery, coverings and spaces near the performance area. Reveal group Hide group
AROUND A THEATER STAGE
- BACKDROP
- CURTAIN
- PIT
- WINGS
Each term has a specific place around a theater stage. A BACKDROP hangs at the rear as scenery; the front CURTAIN separates the stage from the auditorium; the orchestra PIT accommodates musicians, usually in a sunken area near the front; and the WINGS are the out-of-view areas beside the acting space. These are different stage features, not four kinds of curtain.
Read this group’s word explanationsBlue Put one shared word before each tile to make a familiar expression. Reveal group Hide group
THROW ___
- HANDS
- PILLOW
- RUG
- SHADE
Put THROW before each tile: throw HANDS, throw PILLOW, throw RUG and throw SHADE. To throw hands is to fight with fists; a throw pillow is a small decorative cushion; a throw rug is a small rug; and to throw shade is to express contempt or disrespect, often indirectly. The four phrases mix actions with furnishings, so they do not all mean tossing an object.
Read this group’s word explanationsPurple Replace only the opening letter to turn each tile into something edible. Reveal group Hide group
FRUIT WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED
- DEMON
- DRAPE
- GLUM
- GRANGE
Change just the first letter of each tile to get a fruit: DEMON becomes LEMON (D to L), DRAPE becomes GRAPE (D to G), GLUM becomes PLUM (G to P), and GRANGE becomes ORANGE (G to O). The remaining letters stay in their original order. DRAPE may suggest the theater group, but its role here is the exact spelling transformation.
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
PARTS OF A CAMERA
These terms name familiar camera equipment with different jobs. FLASH supplies a brief burst of light, LENS focuses light to form an image, SHUTTER controls the passage of light for an exposure, and VIEWFINDER shows the area that will be included in the picture. Read each as photographic equipment rather than a news bulletin, an eye part or a window covering.
- FLASH
-
FLASH is the unit that produces a brief burst of light for taking a photograph. Here it is photographic lighting equipment, rather than a sudden news report.
- LENS
-
LENS is the optical component that focuses light to form an image. The camera meaning fits this group; an eye lens is a different application of the same word.
- SHUTTER
-
SHUTTER is the camera component that regulates the passage of light for an exposure. Its separate meaning as a window covering can distract you toward household furnishings.
- VIEWFINDER
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VIEWFINDER shows the part of the scene to be included in the picture. It helps frame the photograph, whereas the other three terms concern lighting, image formation and exposure.
Green
AROUND A THEATER STAGE
Each term has a specific place around a theater stage. A BACKDROP hangs at the rear as scenery; the front CURTAIN separates the stage from the auditorium; the orchestra PIT accommodates musicians, usually in a sunken area near the front; and the WINGS are the out-of-view areas beside the acting space. These are different stage features, not four kinds of curtain.
- BACKDROP
-
A BACKDROP is a painted cloth hung across the rear of a stage. The word can also mean a background more generally, but the theatrical scenery sense is the one used here.
- CURTAIN
-
CURTAIN refers here to the movable screen between the stage and the auditorium. This is a stage use of a familiar household word.
- PIT
-
PIT means the orchestra pit: the area for musicians and the conductor, usually sunken near the front of the performance space. It is not a fruit stone in this group.
- WINGS
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WINGS are the spaces to either side of the acting area, out of the audience's view and usually masked by curtains. They are side areas, not parts of a bird.
Blue
THROW ___
Put THROW before each tile: throw HANDS, throw PILLOW, throw RUG and throw SHADE. To throw hands is to fight with fists; a throw pillow is a small decorative cushion; a throw rug is a small rug; and to throw shade is to express contempt or disrespect, often indirectly. The four phrases mix actions with furnishings, so they do not all mean tossing an object.
- HANDS
-
HANDS completes throw hands, slang for fighting with one's fists. It is an idiom, rather than an instruction to toss a pair of hands.
- PILLOW
-
PILLOW completes throw pillow, a small pillow used especially for decoration. The phrase names a furnishing; it does not have to describe a pillow being thrown.
- RUG
-
RUG completes throw rug, a rug small enough that several can be used in one room. Like throw pillow, it is a household-item phrase.
- SHADE
-
SHADE completes throw shade, meaning to express contempt or disrespect, especially indirectly or subtly. The intended expression concerns criticism rather than shelter from sunlight.
Purple
FRUIT WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED
Change just the first letter of each tile to get a fruit: DEMON becomes LEMON (D to L), DRAPE becomes GRAPE (D to G), GLUM becomes PLUM (G to P), and GRANGE becomes ORANGE (G to O). The remaining letters stay in their original order. DRAPE may suggest the theater group, but its role here is the exact spelling transformation.
- DEMON
-
Change the D in DEMON to L and it becomes LEMON, the citrus fruit. The usual evil-spirit meaning of demon does not explain the group.
- DRAPE
-
Change the D in DRAPE to G and it becomes GRAPE. Drape can mean a curtain, which makes it a tempting theater answer, but this group uses its letters.
- GLUM
-
Change the G in GLUM to P and it becomes PLUM. Glum means gloomy or dispirited; that mood is separate from the fruit-producing spelling change.
- GRANGE
-
Change the G in GRANGE to O and it becomes ORANGE. Grange can mean a farm or farmhouse with outbuildings; the connection here depends on spelling, not that definition.
How difficult is this puzzle?
As an editorial impression, the two sets of physical equipment may be easier to recognize than the phrase and spelling groups. A word that resembles a stage furnishing can tempt you away from a letter-change solution. Check that the proposed relationship accounts for all four tiles; the final group needs an exact substitution at the beginning of each word. These are solving observations, not measured difficulty statistics.
More Connections answers
Frequently asked questions
What are the four groups in Connections #1237?
Yellow is PARTS OF A CAMERA: FLASH, LENS, SHUTTER and VIEWFINDER. Green is AROUND A THEATER STAGE: BACKDROP, CURTAIN, PIT and WINGS. Blue is THROW ___: HANDS, PILLOW, RUG and SHADE. Purple is FRUIT WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED: DEMON, DRAPE, GLUM and GRANGE.
How do DEMON, DRAPE, GLUM and GRANGE become fruits?
Replace only the first letter: DEMON becomes LEMON, DRAPE becomes GRAPE, GLUM becomes PLUM and GRANGE becomes ORANGE. Nothing is added or rearranged, and each replacement produces a fruit name.
Why is DRAPE separate from CURTAIN?
Drape can mean a curtain, so the words have a real connection. The official solution uses DRAPE in the letter-change group because D to G produces GRAPE. CURTAIN belongs with the theater features BACKDROP, PIT and WINGS.
What do throw hands and throw shade mean?
To throw hands is to fight using fists. To throw shade is to express contempt or disrespect, often indirectly. The other two blue expressions, throw pillow and throw rug, name furnishings, so the shared link is the word THROW rather than one shared action.
What are PIT and WINGS in a theater?
PIT refers to the orchestra pit, where the musicians and conductor are located, usually in a sunken area near the front. WINGS are the areas beside the acting space that are hidden from the audience, commonly by curtains.
Sources & further reading
Sources & further reading
- The New York Times — Connections
- Merriam-Webster — flash
- Merriam-Webster — lens
- Merriam-Webster — shutter
- Merriam-Webster — viewfinder
- Merriam-Webster — backdrop
- Merriam-Webster — curtain
- Merriam-Webster — pit
- Merriam-Webster — wing
- University of Minnesota Northrop — theater vocabulary
- Merriam-Webster — throw hands
- Merriam-Webster — throw pillow
- Merriam-Webster — throw rug
- Merriam-Webster — throw shade
- Merriam-Webster — lemon
- Merriam-Webster — grape
- Merriam-Webster — plum
- Merriam-Webster — orange
- Merriam-Webster — demon
- Merriam-Webster — drape
- Merriam-Webster — glum
- Merriam-Webster — grange