A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1021
hints & answers for March 28, 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 28, 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 B, E, E and M. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOARD belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STEP ONTO, AS A VEHICLE

Reveal all four words
  • BOARD
  • EMBARK
  • ENTER
  • MOUNT

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

ACCELERATION belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

QUANTITIES IN MECHANICS

Reveal all four words
  • ACCELERATION
  • FORCE
  • MASS
  • MOMENTUM

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

FIGURE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

TEXTBOOK IMAGES

Reveal all four words
  • FIGURE
  • ILLUSTRATION
  • PICTURE
  • PLATE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try adding the same ending to each entry.

Show one word

FACE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

___ PLANT

Reveal all four words
  • FACE
  • PITCHER
  • POWER
  • ROBERT

Each entry comes before "PLANT" to form a word, expression or name: FACE → FACE PLANT; PITCHER → PITCHER PLANT; POWER → POWER PLANT; ROBERT → ROBERT PLANT.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: STEP ONTO, AS A VEHICLE
  • Green: QUANTITIES IN MECHANICS
  • Blue: TEXTBOOK IMAGES
  • Purple: ___ PLANT

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

STEP ONTO, AS A VEHICLE

BOARD · EMBARK · ENTER · MOUNT

Green

QUANTITIES IN MECHANICS

ACCELERATION · FORCE · MASS · MOMENTUM

Blue

TEXTBOOK IMAGES

FIGURE · ILLUSTRATION · PICTURE · PLATE

Purple

___ PLANT

FACE · PITCHER · POWER · ROBERT

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.