Connections Hints
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — October 14, 2026
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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid
All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.
FEED
FIERY
FLASH
FLICKER
FOMENT
FUMBLE
HULK
PUNISHER
SERVE
SLICE
SMASH
SUGGESTION
THING
TRACE
VOLLEY
WHIFF
Themes
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
HINTStraightforward
TENNIS SHOTSModerate
SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE"Tricky
STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM"Devious
One word per group
Theme name plus one word from each category.
HINTStraightforward
A SMALL AMOUNT OR FAINT SIGN OF SOMETHING+ 3 more…
TENNIS SHOTSModerate
WAYS TO HIT THE BALL ON A TENNIS COURT+ 3 more…
SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE"Tricky
MARVEL COMIC CHARACTERS KNOWN BY 'THE ___'+ 3 more…
STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM"Devious
EACH WORD BEGINS WITH THE GIANT'S CHANT FROM JACK AND THE BEANSTALK+ 3 more…
Full solution
HINTStraightforward
FLICKER,SUGGESTION,TRACE,WHIFF
FLICKER, SUGGESTION, TRACE, and WHIFF all mean a very small or faint amount of something, often barely perceptible.
TENNIS SHOTSModerate
SERVE,SLICE,SMASH,VOLLEY
SERVE, SLICE, SMASH, and VOLLEY are all types of shots used in tennis.
SUPERHEROES, WITH "THE"Tricky
FLASH,HULK,PUNISHER,THING
THE FLASH, THE HULK, THE PUNISHER, and THE THING are all superheroes whose names are preceded by 'The.'
STARTING WITH "FEE, FI, FO, FUM"Devious
FEED,FIERY,FOMENT,FUMBLE
FEED starts with 'FEE', FIERY starts with 'FI', FOMENT starts with 'FO', and FUMBLE starts with 'FUM' — the four syllables of the giant's chant.