Today’s NYT Connections Tips (and Answers) for Tuesday, April 2, 2024


If you are looking for Connections Tuesday, April 2, 2024 answers, keep reading — I will share some clues, tips, strategies, and finally solutions for all four categories. Along the way I'll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we'll see how everything fits together. Please note, there are spoilers below for the April 2 issue of NYT Connections #296! If you want some tips (and answers) for today's game of Wired, keep reading.

If you want an easy way to return to our hookup tips every day, bookmark this page . If you're wondering what you missed in previous puzzles, you can find our past hints there too.

Below, I'll give you some indirect hints on today's connection answers. Further down the page I will reveal the topics and answers. Scroll slowly and get the tips you need!


Topic prompt for today’s connect puzzle

Here are some grouping tips from today’s Wired (no spoilers):

  • Yellow Category - Boop, but sharper.

  • Green Category - Serpentine.

  • Blue category - classic fairy tale.

  • Purple Category - Very delicious with the right sauce.


PLEASE NOTE: Today's Connect Puzzle contains spoilers!

We're about to give you some answers. If you don't want to spoil the whole thing, scroll slowly. (Full solution a little below.)

A note on the tricky bits

Last month we puzzled some of the same snakes, but they all represented different things - BOA was the feathered variety, and MOCCASIN was the shoe. But today we can get straight to the subject of snakes.

The elbow here is not part of the body, nor is it a way to stimulate someone. If you need additional tips, you can use BOWTIE.

Pumpkins are not here as food, nor are they jack-o-lanterns. With the right magic, you can use it to achieve the ball.

What are the categories of connectivity today?

  • Yellow: Thrust

  • Green: Type of snake

  • Blue: Appears in "Cinderella"

  • Purple: pasta shape

Be extra careful: here’s the solution

Ready to get the answers to today’s connectivity dilemmas? I've given them all below.

What's the yellow word in today's connection?

The yellow grouping is considered the most straightforward. Today's theme for the yellow group is "THRUST", and the words are: JAB, PROD, POKE, STICK.

What's the green word in Connections today?

The green grouping should be the second easiest. Today's theme for the green group is "KINDS OF SNAKES", the words are: ADDER, BOA, MAMBA, MOCCASIN

What's the blue word in today's Wired?

The blue group is the second hardest. Today's theme for the blue group is the scene from "Cinderella" and the words are: ball, prince, pumpkin, slippers.

What is the purple word in today's connection?

The purple group is considered the hardest. Today's theme for the purple group is pasta shapes, and the words are: BOWTIE, ELBOW, TUBE, and WHEEL.

How I solved my connection issues today

I'm getting a sense of déjà vu looking at this board - didn't we have a snake theme last month that included moccasins? Guess we're doing it again.

PRINCE, BALL, PUMPKIN and SLIPPER must all be from Cinderella, right? ?

JAB, POKE, PROD, and ELBOW are all ways to nudge someone hard. No, one point worse! ...Okay, I know what they're going to do with ELBOW. I changed it to STICK. ?

Of course, ELBOW joins BOWTIE, TUBE and WHEEL as pasta shapes. ?

Finally, we have snakes – but this time they ’re all snakes, not red herrings. ?

Connecting Puzzle #296 ???? ???? ???? ???? ????

How to play connect

I have a complete guide to playing Connections , but here's a recap of the rules:

First, find the Connections game on the New York Times website or their game app (formerly known as the Crossword Puzzle app). You will see a game board with 16 tiles, each with a word or phrase. Your task is to select a set of four tiles that have something in common. Usually they are the same type of thing (for example: RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, and SNOW are all types of wet weather), but sometimes a play on words is involved (for example, BUCKET, GUEST, TOP TEN, and WISH are all types) List : Last Wish lists, guest lists, etc.).

Select four projects and click the Submit button. If you guessed correctly, the category and color will be displayed. (Yellow is easiest, followed by green, then blue, then purple.) If your guess is incorrect, you'll be given a chance to try again.

You win when you correctly identify all four groups. But if you make four mistakes before finishing, the game will be over and the answer will be revealed.

How to win connections

The most important thing to know when it comes to winning connections is that grouping design is tricky. Expect to see overlapping groups. For example, one puzzle appeared to include six breakfast items: bacon, eggs, pancakes, omelets, waffles and cereal. But it turns out that BACON belongs to the same group of painters as CLOSE, MUNCH, and WHISTLER, while EGG belongs to a dozen groups of painters (along with JUROR, ROSE, and MONTH). So don’t hit “submit” until you’ve confirmed that your foursome only contains these four things.

If you're stuck, another strategy is to look at words that don't seem to be connected to other words. If when you see "Whistler" all that comes to mind is the painting nicknamed "Whistler's Mother," then you probably get the idea. When I was figuring this out, I ended up searching on Google to see if there was a painter named Close, since Close didn't fit any obvious themes either.

Obviously, another way to win when you're stuck is to read some helpful tips - which is why we share them every day. Check back tomorrow for the next puzzle!