Here’s how to tackle ‘Connections’ #1044.
By April 19, 2026
If you enjoy angling, today’s NYT Connections puzzle shouldn’t be too challenging.
Connections is a popular New York Times word game focused on finding common threads between words, similar to Wordle. Each new puzzle set becomes trickier, offering hints and tips to help players. Scroll to the end for today’s solution or read on for helpful clues and strategies.
For those curious, Connections has become a social media sensation. Created by associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, it requires players to group four related words and is available on web browsers and mobile devices.
Each puzzle includes 16 words split into four categories, like book titles or country names. Solve correctly to remove words from the board, but be warned—four mistakes end the game.
Players can shuffle the board and categorize with color codes: yellow as easiest, then green, blue, and purple. Results can be shared on social media.
Want a hint for today’s Connections categories? Here are some teasers:
– Yellow: Hazy
– Green: “Good catch!”
– Blue: Deadly bite
– Purple: Start the week
Today’s categories are:
– Yellow: Mass of smoke
– Green: Fishing gear
– Blue: Associated with Black Widow spiders
– Purple: ___ Monday
Spoiler alert—here’s today’s solution:
– Mass of smoke: BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF
– Fishing gear: BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD
– Associated with Black Widow spiders: CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB
– ___ Monday: BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS
New Connections puzzles await tomorrow! For more, check the Mashable games hub for options like Mahjong and Sudoku. Missed the previous day? Here’s yesterday’s Connections solution.
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