Connections #1,234 hints and answers for Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Connections #1,234 is built around one word used two ways: four words go before it and four come after it. The other two groups are a set of casual verbs and the small structures inside the ear. For each group below: read the hint first, then show the category name when you want it, then the four words.
Group 1 - Yellow
Hint: all four are verbs for poking around with something without a serious plan: adjusting it idly, interfering with it, or playing with it.
MESS (WITH)
MESS (WITH)
Group 2 - Green
Hint: think anatomy, and hearing in particular: a passage, a membrane, and two tiny parts named for a blacksmith tool and a horse-riding loop.
PARTS OF THE EAR
PARTS OF THE EAR
Group 3 - Blue
Hint: each word goes in front of the same four-letter ringing word: one sinks underwater, one rings at Christmas, one stands in Philadelphia, and one fills a fast-food shell.
___ BELL
___ BELL
Group 4 - Purple
Hint: now flip the blue group around: each word comes after the same ringing word, making trousers, a preserving vessel, a vegetable and a church spire.