Yellow group
Most direct
First nudge
Think about what a careful driver does with the speed limit.
Stronger nudge
Each word can mean to pay attention to an instruction and obey it, as you would a warning sign.
Group name
Follows, as rules
Connections hint #1215: October 8, 2026
Step-by-step hints and answers for Connections #1215, from Thursday, October 8, 2026.
A tidy-looking trap opens Thursday's puzzle: one obvious grouping has more candidates than any set could hold, so something has to give. Several tiles also change meaning depending on whether you read them as a verb or a noun, which makes the early guesses harder than they look. Find the set with no doubles first, then keep the four strangest tiles for the end, where they finally make sense.
- FOOLHARDY
- MINDS
- THANKS
- STOOGES
- BEST
- WISHES
- REGARDS
- ECLIPSE
- CHEERS
- MULHOLLAND
- RESPECTS
- STRIKES
- TOP
- AUTOCRUISE
- HEEDS
- SURPASS
Hints for Connections #1215
Open one step at a time. Step three names the group, so stop earlier if you want more of a challenge. New to the game? Read how to play Connections first, or see what the four colors mean.
Green group
Fairly direct
First nudge
Think about a record being broken.
Stronger nudge
Each word can mean to do better than someone or something, as a new champion does to the old record.
Group name
Outdo
Blue group
Takes some thought
First nudge
Think of famous sets that always seem to come in the same small number.
Stronger nudge
Each one traditionally comes as a set of three, from a comedy team to a genie's offer and a batter's limit.
Group name
Things that come in threes
Purple group
Trickiest
First nudge
Picture a movie poster and read the tail of each tile.
Stronger nudge
Read the end of each word as a surname, and you get four well-known actors who all share the same first name.
Group name
Ending in actors named Tom
Show the trap
An email closing is the first thing most eyes find here, with BEST, WISHES, REGARDS, THANKS and CHEERS all ready to sign off a message. The grid has no place for a sign-off set at all, and those five scatter across every color. Read each one as a verb or as a word standing alone, and the closing comes apart.
More ways to dodge red herrings: our Connections tips.
Word meanings
Some meanings point toward a group, so they stay hidden until you open them.
Show meanings for 5 tricky words
- ECLIPSE
- In astronomy, when one body blocks the light of another, as the moon does to the sun. As a verb, it means to outshine or overshadow.
- MULHOLLAND
- Mulholland Drive, the winding road through the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, and the title of a 2001 David Lynch film.
- FOOLHARDY
- Recklessly bold, willing to take risks that a more sensible person would avoid, often without thinking about the result.
- STOOGES
- The Three Stooges were an American comedy act known for slapstick short films from the 1930s to the 1950s.
- REGARDS
- As a verb, considers or pays attention to. As a noun, it is a polite closing at the end of a letter or email.
Answers for Connections #1215
This section shows all four groups. Only open it if you're finished or ready to give up.
Show all four groups
-
Follows, as rules
HEEDS, MINDS, REGARDS, RESPECTS
Ways to obey or pay attention to a rule: HEEDS, MINDS, REGARDS and RESPECTS, as in she minds the speed limit.
-
Outdo
BEST, ECLIPSE, SURPASS, TOP
Ways to do better than a rival: BEST, ECLIPSE, SURPASS and TOP, as in her new time tops the old record.
-
Things that come in threes
CHEERS, STOOGES, STRIKES, WISHES
Things that come in threes: three CHEERS, the Three STOOGES, three STRIKES and you are out, and the three WISHES a genie grants.
-
Ending in actors named Tom
AUTOCRUISE, FOOLHARDY, MULHOLLAND, THANKS
Each tile ends in the surname of an actor called Tom: autoCRUISE, foolHARDY, mulHOLLAND and tHANKS hide Tom Cruise, Tom Hardy, Tom Holland and Tom Hanks.
The solve at a glance
STOOGES is the safest start, since it only works as a set of three, and STRIKES, WISHES and CHEERS join it. ECLIPSE and SURPASS then mean outdo, which claims BEST and TOP. HEEDS and MINDS point to obeying a rule, with REGARDS and RESPECTS. AUTOCRUISE, FOOLHARDY, MULHOLLAND and THANKS remain, each ending in the surname of an actor named Tom.
Want to get better at spotting groups? Start with our Connections tips.
Answers checked against the official answers by Alan. This puzzle appeared on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
More Connections puzzles
Every puzzle keeps its own page with the same nudges, meanings and answers, so you can go back to any day.
Looking for a different day? Use the links below, or head to today's Connections hint. Every puzzle from October 2026 is listed on the October 2026 archive page.