What is the NYT Connections answer for March 30 (#1023)?

The four groups are IMITATION (DUMMY, ERSATZ, FAUX, MOCK); PLAY AROUND (WITH) (FUTZ, MESS, TINKER, TOY); CAR RENTAL COMPANIES (AVIS, BUDGET, DOLLAR, HERTZ); SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER (FRITZ, PLAYS, TRUFFLES, YUTZ).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Monday, March 30, 2026#1023

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Monday, March 30

DailyWordHints Editorial March 30

IMITATION

Easiest

PLAY AROUND (WITH)

Easy

CAR RENTAL COMPANIES

Tricky

SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are IMITATION (yellow), PLAY AROUND (WITH) (green), CAR RENTAL COMPANIES (blue), SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER (purple).

ERSATZ

FRITZ

TINKER

TOY

YUTZ

FUTZ

DOLLAR

DUMMY

HERTZ

PLAYS

MOCK

MESS

FAUX

BUDGET

TRUFFLES

AVIS

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1023, Monday, March 30. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for March 30 (#1023)?: The four groups are IMITATION (DUMMY, ERSATZ, FAUX, MOCK); PLAY AROUND (WITH) (FUTZ, MESS, TINKER, TOY); CAR RENTAL COMPANIES (AVIS, BUDGET, DOLLAR, HERTZ); SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER (FRITZ, PLAYS, TRUFFLES, YUTZ).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "SNACK BRANDS PLUS STARTING LETTER" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.