Today’s New York Times word games Connections puzzle #1023 has a fun mix of misdirection — words that look like they belong together but don’t. If you’re here for hints before the full reveal, you’re in the right place. Answers are held back until the end.
What Is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle where players sort 16 words into four groups of four, each sharing a hidden common thread. The categories range from straightforward to fiendishly tricky, and the puzzle resets every day at midnight.
Every group is color-coded by difficulty: 🟨 Yellow is the easiest, 🟩 Green is moderate, 🟦 Blue is harder, and 🟪 Purple is the toughest. Words are deliberately chosen to overlap in meaning, so a word that seems to fit one group may secretly belong to another.
How to Play
- Select four words you believe share a common category and tap “Submit.”
- If all four are correct, the group is cleared from the board.
- A wrong guess counts as a mistake — you get four mistakes total before the game ends.
- You can shuffle and rearrange the board at any time to help spot patterns.
Category Hints for March 30, 2026
Not ready for the category names yet? Here are vague clues to nudge you in the right direction:
- 🟨 Yellow: Think of a word that means something isn’t the real deal.
- 🟩 Green: What you do when you’re tinkering or messing around.
- 🟦 Blue: You’d find these names at an airport counter when you need wheels.
- 🟪 Purple: These words become snack brand names when you add a letter to the front.
Category Names for March 30, 2026
Still need a bit more? Here are today’s four category names — no words revealed yet:
- 🟨 IMITATION
- 🟩 PLAY AROUND (WITH)
- 🟦 CAR RENTAL COMPANIES
- 🟪 SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER
Full Answers for Connections #1023 — March 30, 2026
Here are the complete solutions. This is your last chance to look away!
- 🟨 IMITATION: DUMMY, ERSATZ, FAUX, MOCK
- 🟩 PLAY AROUND (WITH): FUTZ, MESS, TINKER, TOY
- 🟦 CAR RENTAL COMPANIES: AVIS, BUDGET, DOLLAR, HERTZ
- 🟪 SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER: FRITZ, PLAYS, TRUFFLES, YUTZ
What Made Today Tricky
The purple category was the real trap in today’s puzzle. FRITZ, PLAYS, TRUFFLES, and YUTZ only reveal themselves as snack brand names when you mentally add a letter to the front — so FRITZ becomes “Ritz,” PLAYS becomes “Lays,” TRUFFLES becomes “Pringles” (wait — “Truffles” → add S = “Sttruffles”? Actually the mechanic here is adding a starting letter: F+RITZ = FRITZ → remove F = RITZ, P+LAYS = PLAYS → remove P = LAYS, T+RUFFLES → RUFFLES, Y+UTZ → UTZ). The trick is reading the words as snack names with a bonus letter bolted on the front — FRITZ = F + RITZ, PLAYS = P + LAYS, TRUFFLES = T + RUFFLES, YUTZ = Y + UTZ.
Meanwhile, TOY could easily have been sorted into Imitation (a toy is a fake version of something), and MOCK sits right on the edge of both the Imitation group and “play around.” HERTZ has a physics meaning (unit of frequency) that might pull solvers away from car rentals, and DOLLAR could make you think money or currency rather than a rental company.
Tips for Today
- Start with Blue. AVIS, BUDGET, DOLLAR, and HERTZ are all well-known car rental brands — once you know to think airports, this group falls quickly and clears useful tiles.
- Watch out for TOY and MOCK. Both feel like they belong in Imitation, but TOY belongs with FUTZ, TINKER, and MESS in the “play around” group. Trust the green category here.
- Decode purple last. The snack brand trick is the hardest concept to unlock. Once you’ve placed all other categories, the leftover four will make the pattern obvious — each word is a snack name with one extra letter at the start.
- ERSATZ is your friend. If you know this somewhat unusual word meaning “inferior substitute,” it anchors the yellow Imitation group immediately alongside FAUX, DUMMY, and MOCK.
More Daily Puzzle Answers
Looking for more puzzle help? Check out these recent Connections solutions on dotwordle.com:
- March 29, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1022 Hints and Answers
- March 28, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1021 Hints and Answers
- March 27, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1020 Hints and Answers
Playing other games today? We’ve also got you covered:
- March 29, 2026 Wordle #1744 Hint and Answer
- A Bit Peckish — March 29, 2026 NYT Strands 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.
