A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1013
hints & answers for March 20, 2026

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows March 20, 2026. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, C, R and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

ALARM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

DISTURB

Reveal all four words
  • ALARM
  • CONCERN
  • RATTLE
  • SHAKE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, C, L and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOARDWALK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

WORDS ON A MONOPOLY BOARD

Reveal all four words
  • BOARDWALK
  • CHANCE
  • LUXURY
  • PARKING

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with F, F, M and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

FATE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FIGURE IN GREEK MYTH

Reveal all four words
  • FATE
  • FURY
  • MUSE
  • SIREN

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

CARTON belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

EGG ___

Reveal all four words
  • CARTON
  • NOODLE
  • ROLL
  • TIMER

Each entry comes after "EGG" to form a word, expression or name: CARTON → EGG CARTON; NOODLE → EGG NOODLE; ROLL → EGG ROLL; TIMER → EGG TIMER.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: DISTURB
  • Green: WORDS ON A MONOPOLY BOARD
  • Blue: FIGURE IN GREEK MYTH
  • Purple: EGG ___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

DISTURB

ALARM · CONCERN · RATTLE · SHAKE

Green

WORDS ON A MONOPOLY BOARD

BOARDWALK · CHANCE · LUXURY · PARKING

Blue

FIGURE IN GREEK MYTH

FATE · FURY · MUSE · SIREN

Purple

EGG ___

CARTON · NOODLE · ROLL · TIMER

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.