Today’s puzzle has a theatrical flair and a touch of magic. Connections #1037 for April 13, 2026 mixes showbiz, pop culture, and everyday objects in ways that are designed to mislead. If you’re looking for a nudge in the right direction — or the full solution — you’re in the right place.
What Is NYT Connections?
New York Times word games include Connections, one of the most widely played daily puzzles on the internet. The premise is simple: you’re given 16 words and must sort them into four groups of four, with each group sharing a hidden common thread. The challenge is that the words are deliberately chosen to overlap in plausible ways, and only one arrangement is correct.
The puzzle was developed with the help of associate editor Wyna Liu and has become a staple of the NYT Games section. It resets daily at midnight and is playable on any web browser or mobile device.
How to Play
- The board displays 16 words. Your job is to find four groups of four that share something in common.
- Select four words and tap “Submit” to check your guess.
- A correct guess removes those four words from the board.
- An incorrect guess counts as one mistake. You get four mistakes total before the game ends.
- After completing the puzzle, you can share your color-coded result on social media.
Category Hints
Not ready for the answers yet? Here are vague hints for each color tier — no category names, no giveaways.
🟨 Yellow (Easiest): Think about what you’d see before you even walk inside a theater.
🟩 Green: A performer works the stage with more than just tricks — think about what they bring with them.
🟦 Blue: These single words become famous when placed before a colon and a cast of characters.
🟪 Purple (Hardest): Four very different things, but they all share one structural feature on top.
Category Names
Still working through it? Here are the official category names for Connections #1037 — no answers yet.
🟨 SEEN OUTSIDE A THEATER
🟩 ACCESSORIES FOR A MAGICIAN
🟦 TV SHOW TITLE SURNAMES
🟪 THEY HAVE CAPS
Full Answers
Ready for the complete solution? Here are all four categories with every word revealed.
🟨 SEEN OUTSIDE A THEATER: BOX OFFICE, MARQUEE, TICKET LINE, VELVET ROPE
🟩 ACCESSORIES FOR A MAGICIAN: CAPE, HANDKERCHIEF, MAGIC WAND, RABBIT
🟦 TV SHOW TITLE SURNAMES: HOUSE, LASSO, MONTANA, SOPRANO
🟪 THEY HAVE CAPS: BASEBALL PLAYER, CAMERA LENS, MUSHROOM, PEN
What Made Today Tricky
Puzzle #1037 had a few clever traps worth calling out.
The hardest group for most players was likely the purple one — THEY HAVE CAPS. Nothing about BASEBALL PLAYER, CAMERA LENS, MUSHROOM, and PEN obviously groups them together at first glance. The word “cap” means something entirely different for each: a fitted hat, a protective cover, a spore-releasing structure, and a lid on a writing tool. That kind of lateral thinking is exactly what makes the purple group so dangerous.
HOUSE was the most likely source of misdirection in the blue group. It’s easy to assume HOUSE connects to something in the theater category — maybe a full house, or a stage — but here it refers to the TV drama House M.D. Similarly, LASSO might make players think of a rodeo or a prop rather than the beloved Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso.
CAPE also caused problems across categories. It appears in the magician’s accessories group, but a cape could easily be imagined as part of a theater costume or even a geographical location. Always consider whether a word fits all four slots in a group before committing.
Tips for Today
1. Lock in the theater group first. BOX OFFICE, MARQUEE, TICKET LINE, and VELVET ROPE are all concrete, specific things seen outside a venue. If you recognize that cluster, it clears the board and removes potential confusion with other groups.
2. Don’t let HOUSE and LASSO mislead you. Both words have obvious non-TV associations, but the blue category is specifically about surnames used as TV show titles. Think House, Ted Lasso, Hannah Montana, and The Sopranos.
3. The purple group requires abstract thinking. When you see THEY HAVE CAPS, resist the urge to think only about clothing. A cap is any removable cover or top — which is why a camera lens, a mushroom, and a pen all qualify alongside a baseball player.
4. RABBIT is unambiguously a magician prop. If you’re unsure where RABBIT goes, remember the classic image of pulling a rabbit from a hat — it belongs firmly in the green group.
More Daily Puzzle Answers
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Shahid Maqsood is a digital entrepreneur and SEO specialist focused on building engaging web experiences. He is the creator of DotWordle, combining creativity with smart, user-friendly design.
