NYT Connections Reveals Four Word Groups for October 20

The October 20, 2026, edition of The New York Times Connections challenges players to sort 16 words into four groups based on shared meanings and wordplay. Puzzle No. 1,227 features categories related to finishing something, loyal followers, mustache styles, and words that sound like Disney character names, according to Lifehacker's daily puzzle guide. The four categories are FINISH, LACKEY, MUSTACHES, and HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS.

The solutions range from familiar synonyms to less obvious associations involving facial hair and animated characters. The FINISH category contains CLOSE, END, STOP, and WRAP. These four words describe bringing an activity, process, or event to a conclusion.

The LACKEY category consists of MINION, POODLE, PUPPET, and STOOGE. Each word can describe someone who follows another person's direction or acts in support of a more powerful figure.

The MUSTACHES group includes CHEVRON, HORSESHOE, PENCIL, and WALRUS. These terms refer to different mustache styles, although some may be less familiar to players who do not regularly encounter facial-hair terminology. The final category, HOMOPHONES OF DISNEY CHARACTERS, contains ARIAL, BELL, DOCK, and MINI. The intended associations are Ariel, Belle, Doc, and Minnie, with each puzzle entry differing in spelling from the corresponding character's name.

Lifehacker identifies several potential distractions in the grid. POODLE, MINI, and PENCIL might initially suggest types of skirts, while BELL and WRAP could appear to fit other word associations. Recognizing the stronger connections helps players avoid committing to an incorrect group too early.

The guide also highlights DOCK, which sounds like a shortened reference to a medical professional and resembles the name Doc, one of the seven dwarfs in Snow White. ARIAL is also a familiar font name, but its role in the puzzle depends on its similarity in sound to Ariel rather than its use in typography.

Connections presents players with 16 words or phrases and asks them to identify four sets of four related entries. According to the game's instructions described by Lifehacker, correctly identifying a group reveals its category and color, while an incorrect submission counts against the player's limited attempts. The color system ranks the categories by intended difficulty: yellow is generally the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple.

Players lose the game after four incorrect guesses if they have not identified all four groups. Lifehacker recommends checking for overlapping associations before submitting a selection. A word may appear to fit several possible groups, but the objective is to find four entries that share the specific connection intended by the puzzle's designers.