- NYT Connections puzzle requires sorting 16 words into four groups.
- Groups feature themes like memory aids and fictional genres.
- Specific categories include planetary mnemonics and ’80s band names.
NYT Connections: The New York Times’ daily word game, Connections, rolled out its Thursday, April 23 puzzle, and it turned out to be a real brain teaser. Players were given 16 words and asked to sort them into four hidden groups. While some links felt easy, others needed deeper thinking and even a bit of memory. Connections refreshes every day, and fans love how it mixes simple ideas with tricky twists.
If today’s puzzle confused you, don’t worry, here’s a clear and simple breakdown of all the hints and answers.
What Is Connections And How Do You Play?
Connections is a daily puzzle where you get 16 words. Your job is to put them into four groups of four words each. Every group has one common theme.
It may look easy, but it’s not. Some words seem like they belong together, but they are just there to confuse you.
For example, “Hook,” “Nana,” “Peter,” and “Wendy” are all Peter Pan characters. Another example is “Action,” “Ballpark,” “Go,” and “Stick,” which all come before the word “Figure.”
You only get four mistakes. If you make four wrong guesses, the game ends and shows you the correct answers.
Each group also has a colour that shows how hard it is:
- Yellow (easiest)
- Green (easy)
- Blue (medium)
- Purple (hardest)
Sometimes the link is about meaning. Sometimes it is about how words sound. And sometimes it is about patterns you remember from school. That’s what makes Connections fun and tricky at the same time.
Hints And Full Solution To NYT Connections (April 23)
Here are the official hints for today’s puzzle:
- Yellow hint: Right next to.
- Green hint: Can be shelved.
- Blue hint: You learned this, once!
- Purple hint: The first four letters are the most important.
Extra hints:
- One group is about memory aids.
- Each group has at least one word that contains the letter “R.”
One word from each group to help you:
- Yellow: Skirt
- Green: Historical
- Blue: Mother
- Purple: Asiago
Now, here are the groups:
- Yellow: Border
- Green: Kinds Of Fiction
- Blue: Words In A Planetary Mnemonic
- Purple: Starting With Four-Letter ’80s Bands
Full Solution for April 23:
- Yellow (Border): Flank, Neighbour, Skirt, Touch
- Green (Kinds Of Fiction): Historical, Literary, Pulp, Science
- Blue (Words In A Planetary Mnemonic): Educated, Mother, My, Very
- Purple (Starting With Four-Letter ’80s Bands): Asiago, Devote, Totoro, Whammy
Today’s puzzle had a nice mix of simple and tricky ideas. The yellow group was about things that mean being next to something, like “neighbour” or “touch.” The green group was easier if you know book types like historical or science fiction.
The blue group was based on a memory trick many people learned in school to remember the planets. Words like “My Very Educated Mother…” help recall their order. The purple group was the hardest, as it needed knowledge of old band names hidden inside words.
Overall, this puzzle depended a lot on memory and a little bit on pop culture. If you missed the mnemonic or the band clue, it could feel tough. But that’s what makes Connections fun every day.


