A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #1041
hints & answers for April 17, 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 April 17, 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, L, R and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BULB belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

VEGETABLE PARTS

Reveal all four words
  • BULB
  • LEAF
  • ROOT
  • STEM

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COMMON belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PREVAILING

Reveal all four words
  • COMMON
  • DOMINANT
  • GENERAL
  • POPULAR

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with H, K, P and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

HAMMER belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PARTS OF A PIANO

Reveal all four words
  • HAMMER
  • KEY
  • PEDAL
  • STRING

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

SODA belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SECOND HALVES OF DRINK NAMES

Reveal all four words
  • SODA
  • STORMY
  • TAN
  • TONIC
Show categories only
  • Yellow: VEGETABLE PARTS
  • Green: PREVAILING
  • Blue: PARTS OF A PIANO
  • Purple: SECOND HALVES OF DRINK NAMES

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

VEGETABLE PARTS

BULB · LEAF · ROOT · STEM

Green

PREVAILING

COMMON · DOMINANT · GENERAL · POPULAR

Blue

PARTS OF A PIANO

HAMMER · KEY · PEDAL · STRING

Purple

SECOND HALVES OF DRINK NAMES

SODA · STORMY · TAN · TONIC

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.