Today’s New York Times word games puzzle is Connections #1043, and it leans into some tricky wordplay — especially if candy brands aren’t your strong suit. This guide walks you through hints, category names, and the full solution in the right order, so you can stop exactly where you need to.
What Is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle where players sort 16 words into four groups of four. Each group shares a hidden common thread — it might be a shared theme, a word that follows each of them, a cultural category, or a linguistic trick. The puzzle resets every day at midnight.
The four categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is the easiest, green is moderate, blue is harder, and purple is the most deceptive. Words are often designed to look like they belong in multiple categories — that misdirection is the whole point.
How to Play
- You are given 16 words arranged in a 4×4 grid.
- Select four words you believe share a common connection and submit them as a group.
- If correct, that group is cleared from the board. If wrong, it counts as a mistake.
- You are allowed a maximum of four mistakes before the game ends.
- You can shuffle the board at any time to look at the words with fresh eyes.
Category Hints for April 19, 2026
Not ready for the answers yet? Here are vague hints for each color category:
🟨 Yellow — Think lips, attitude, and backtalk.
🟩 Green — Something a tailor or seamstress would need to know about you.
🟦 Blue — These come up at a poker table in Texas.
🟪 Purple — Each word is the last part of a candy brand name (singular form).
Category Names for April 19, 2026
Still need a nudge? Here are today’s official category names — no words revealed yet:
🟨 Yellow: CHEEKY
🟩 Green: DRESS MEASUREMENTS
🟦 Blue: CARDS IN TEXAS HOLD ‘EM
🟪 Purple: LAST WORDS OF CANDY BRANDS IN THE SINGULAR
Full Answers for Connections #1043 — April 19, 2026
Here are all four groups with every word:
🟨 CHEEKY: ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
🟩 DRESS MEASUREMENTS: BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
🟦 CARDS IN TEXAS HOLD ‘EM: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
🟪 LAST WORDS OF CANDY BRANDS IN THE SINGULAR: CAP, DUD, KID, MINT
What Made Today Tricky
The yellow category — CHEEKY — was the sneakiest group for most players. Words like FRESH, WISE, and ARCH each carry multiple meanings. FRESH could fit in a culinary context. ARCH might seem architectural. WISE sounds philosophical. The puzzle counts on you chasing those false leads.
The purple category was the real puzzle within the puzzle. You had to recognize that CAP (Bottle Cap), DUD (Milk Dud), KID (Sour Patch Kid), and MINT (After Eight Mint / Peppermint Patty) are all final words in candy brand names — but only in their singular form. KID in particular is easy to miss if you’re not thinking about Sour Patch Kids as “Sour Patch Kid.”
The blue category looked simple once you knew it, but HOLE and RIVER are words players often associate with nature or geography before poker. TURN also has dozens of common meanings, making it a convincing decoy for other groups.
Tips for Today’s Puzzle
- Start with dress measurements. BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, and WAIST are the most concrete and unambiguous group. Locking them in first clears the board and helps you see the remaining words more clearly.
- Watch for candy brand endings. The purple group requires you to think in singular form — not “Kids” but “Kid,” not “Caps” but “Cap.” If a short word could end a candy name, move it to your mental shortlist.
- Don’t trust your first instinct on FRESH and WISE. Both feel like they belong in completely different categories. In today’s puzzle, they belong together with ARCH and SASSY under the theme of being cheeky or impertinent.
- Use shuffling strategically. When you’re stuck between the remaining yellow and purple candidates, reshuffling can break the visual pattern your brain has locked onto and reveal new groupings.
About NYT Connections
Connections was developed by the New York Times Games team and is credited in part to associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu. It launched in 2023 and quickly became one of the most-shared daily puzzles on social media, rivaling Wordle in daily engagement. The game is free to play on both desktop and mobile via the NYT Games platform. Each puzzle is designed so that at least a few words appear to straddle multiple categories — the puzzle’s difficulty comes from resolving that deliberate ambiguity. Purple category themes tend to be the most lateral and linguistically inventive, and today’s candy brand twist is a prime example.
More Daily Puzzle Answers
Looking for help with other puzzles today or this week? Check these out:
- April 18, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1042 Hints and Answers
- April 16, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1040 Hints and Answers
- April 14, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1038 Hints and Answers
- April 13, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1037 Hints and Answers
- April 18, 2026 Wordle #1764 Hint and Answer
- On the Cheap — April 18, 2026 NYT Strands Hints and Answers
- April 18, 2026 Hurdle Hints and Answers
- April 18, 2026 NYT Pips Hints and Answers
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.
