NYT Connections Answer

Welcome back to another daily breakdown of the NYT Connections puzzle! If you’re checking the grid for April 29, 2026, you might find that today’s selection of words feels remarkably rhythmic and structural.

Whether you are looking for a gentle NYT Connections hint to get you moving or the full answer for 2026-04-29, we’ve got you covered. Today’s puzzle, edited by Wyna Liu, offers a satisfying mix of synonyms, sound effects, and a classic "fill-in-the-blank" purple category.

Let’s dive into the solution!

Hints for April 29, 2026

If you want to solve the puzzle on your own but need a little nudge, here are some clues for each color group:

• Yellow Group Hint: Think about the different segments of a project or a video game.
• Green Group Hint: These words all describe the noisy atmospheric effects of a storm.
• Blue Group Hint: These are different ways you might manipulate a character in a performance.
• Purple Group Hint: Every word here follows the same adjective to form a common phrase or idiom.

Connections Groups and Answers

Here are the groupings for today’s puzzle. Be careful—spoilers are ahead!

Yellow: STEP IN A PROCESS

These words represent a specific point in a sequence or progression, whether you’re talking about a multi-step plan or a competitive tournament.

• LEVEL, PHASE, ROUND, STAGE

Green: SOUND LIKE THUNDER

If you’ve ever sat through a summer storm, these onomatopoeic words will be very familiar. They describe the various volumes and vibrations of a lightning strike’s aftermath.

• BOOM, CLAP, ROLL, RUMBLE

Blue: KINDS OF PUPPETS

This category is all about performance art. From the simple childhood sock to the complex marionette, these are all forms of puppetry.

• HAND, SHADOW, SOCK, STRING

Purple: STANDING ___

The trickiest category today requires you to place the word "Standing" in front of each term. A "standing joke" is a recurring one, while "standing room" refers to a lack of seating.

• JOKE, ORDERS, OVATION, ROOM

Solving Strategy & Review

Today’s grid had some clever overlaps. ROLL and ROUND might have felt like they belonged together (perhaps in a "circular" category), and HAND and CLAP are often associated with one another.

However, the Green category (SOUND LIKE THUNDER) was fairly straightforward if you focused on the auditory nature of the words. Once those were out of the way, identifying the types of puppets in Blue helped narrow down the remaining eight words.

The Purple category, as is often the case, was the most abstract. While "Standing Ovation" and "Standing Room" are very common, "Standing Orders" (a military or procedural term) and "Standing Joke" required a bit more lateral thinking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play NYT Connections?

The goal is to find four groups of four words that share something in common. Select four words and tap "Submit." You have four lives, and each mistake costs you one.

What do the colors mean in Connections?

The colors indicate the difficulty level assigned by the editor:

• Yellow: The most straightforward / most obvious.
• Green: Medium difficulty.
• Blue: Often involves specific knowledge or slightly more complex categories.
• Purple: The hardest; usually involves wordplay, puns, or fill-in-the-blank clues.

When does the NYT Connections reset?

The game resets daily at midnight in your local time zone.

Where can I find more puzzles?

Connections is available on the New York Times Games app and their official website alongside other favorites like Wordle and The Mini Crossword.

Check back tomorrow for more hints and solutions for your favorite daily word game!