NYT Connections #1041 lands Friday, April 17, 2026. The easier categories lean on theater entrances and magician props; Blue pulls TV-surname trivia; Purple uses the word “cap” across four wildly different objects. Hints first — spoiler strip and full write-up are below the article.
Today’s Connections Hints — April 17, 2026
- Yellow (easiest): Where you queue up before a Broadway show.
- Green: Props you’d pull out of a top hat.
- Blue: Last names of TV show characters you’ve streamed.
- Purple (hardest): They all have caps — but none of them wear hats.
Today’s Connections Answers — April 17, 2026
Tap each ? in the reveal strip below the article for one word at a time. Open Show full write-up for the complete four-group breakdown.
My Take on Today’s Connections
Purple is the trap. MUSHROOM feels botanical, PEN feels like stationery, CAMERA LENS feels like tech, and BASEBALL PLAYER feels athletic — only “cap” ties them. Solve Yellow first: BOX OFFICE, MARQUEE, TICKET LINE, and VELVET ROPE are unambiguous theater gear, so the four guesses there are cheap. Saving Purple for last means fewer mistakes on the obvious misdirects.
Yesterday’s Connections — April 16, 2026 (#1040)
Thursday’s groups: Yellow — pants features (BELT LOOP, CUFF, FLY, POCKET). Green — perspective synonyms (ANGLE, POSITION, STANCE, TAKE). Blue — emit (CAST, PROJECT, RADIATE, SHED). Purple — ___ Doll (PAPER, RAG, RUSSIAN, TROLL).
How do you play NYT Connections?
You get a 4×4 grid of 16 words. Sort them into four groups of four, each sharing a hidden theme. Four wrong guesses ends the game.
What does ‘one away’ mean in Connections?
Three of the four words you selected belong to the same group, but one doesn’t. Swap one word and try again.
Which group should I solve first?
Start with Yellow (easiest), then work up through Green, Blue, and Purple. Clearing easy groups shrinks the pool and protects your guesses.
More daily puzzles: Wordle hints, Pips hints, Strands hints, Quordle, Hurdle.
Connections — All four groups (April 17, 2026)
Sixteen words sorted into four themed groups (Yellow → Purple). Reveal each solution word on your own pace.
Colors match NYT difficulty bands — they are labels here, not your in-game feedback.
Yellow (Seen outside a theater): BOX OFFICE, MARQUEE, TICKET LINE, VELVET ROPE
Green (Accessories for a magician): CAPE, HANDKERCHIEF, MAGIC WAND, RABBIT
Blue (TV show title surnames): HOUSE, LASSO, MONTANA, SOPRANO
Purple (They have caps): BASEBALL PLAYER, CAMERA LENS, MUSHROOM, PEN
Games History
Yellow (Seen outside a theater): BOX OFFICE, MARQUEE, TICKET LINE, VELVET ROPE
Green (Accessories for a magician): CAPE, HANDKERCHIEF, MAGIC WAND, RABBIT
Blue (TV show title surnames): HOUSE, LASSO, MONTANA, SOPRANO
Purple (They have caps): BASEBALL PLAYER, CAMERA LENS, MUSHROOM, PEN
Yellow (Pants features): BELT LOOP, CUFF, FLY, POCKET
Green (Perspective): ANGLE, POSITION, STANCE, TAKE
Blue (Emit): CAST, PROJECT, RADIATE, SHED
Purple (___ Doll): PAPER, RAG, RUSSIAN, TROLL
Yellow (Pants features): BELT LOOP, CUFF, FLY, POCKET
Green (Perspective): ANGLE, POSITION, STANCE, TAKE
Blue (Emit): CAST, PROJECT, RADIATE, SHED
Purple (___ Doll): PAPER, RAG, RUSSIAN, TROLL
Yellow (Found in the trunk of a car): ICE SCRAPER, JACK, JUMPER CABLES, SPARE TIRE
Green (Benefactor): ANGEL, CHAMPION, PATRON, SPONSOR
Blue (Structural supports): BEAM, BRACE, COLUMN, STRUT
Purple (Ending in bodies of water): BOMBAY, CHELSEA, SCREWDRIVER, SNOWFLAKE
🟡 Cohort Member: Associate, Colleague, Fellow, Peer
🟢 Aesthetic: Design, Look, Scheme, Style
🔵 Kind of Bar Apparatuses: Monkey, Parallel, Pull-Up, Uneven
🟣 Eyewear in the Singular: Contact, Goggle, Shade, Spectacle
🟡 Cohort Member: Associate, Colleague, Fellow, Peer
🟢 Aesthetic: Design, Look, Scheme, Style
🔵 Kind of Bar Apparatuses: Monkey, Parallel, Pull-Up, Uneven
🟣 Eyewear in the Singular: Contact, Goggle, Shade, Spectacle
