What is the NYT Connections answer for April 5 (#1029)?

The four groups are ATOMIC STRUCTURE TERMS (ELECTRON, NUCLEUS, ORBIT, SHELL); PARTS OF A SHERLOCK HOLMES COSTUME (DEERSTALKER, MAGNIFYING GLASS, PIPE, VIOLIN); THINGS TO FLIP (COIN, LIGHT SWITCH, PANCAKE, THE BIRD); STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SLUSH" (GOOGOL, MUSHROOM, PASTEURIZE, PULPIT).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SLUSH"" — 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.

Sunday, April 5, 2026#1029

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Sunday, April 5

DailyWordHints Editorial April 5

ATOMIC STRUCTURE TERMS

Easiest

PARTS OF A SHERLOCK HOLMES COSTUME

Easy

THINGS TO FLIP

Tricky

STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SLUSH"

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are ATOMIC STRUCTURE TERMS (yellow), PARTS OF A SHERLOCK HOLMES COSTUME (green), THINGS TO FLIP (blue), STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SLUSH" (purple).

PIPE

PANCAKE

PULPIT

LIGHT SWITCH

SHELL

VIOLIN

MUSHROOM

ORBIT

COIN

PASTEURIZE

NUCLEUS

MAGNIFYING GLASS

ELECTRON

GOOGOL

DEERSTALKER

THE BIRD

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 #1029, Sunday, April 5. 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 April 5 (#1029)?: The four groups are ATOMIC STRUCTURE TERMS (ELECTRON, NUCLEUS, ORBIT, SHELL); PARTS OF A SHERLOCK HOLMES COSTUME (DEERSTALKER, MAGNIFYING GLASS, PIPE, VIOLIN); THINGS TO FLIP (COIN, LIGHT SWITCH, PANCAKE, THE BIRD); STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SLUSH" (GOOGOL, MUSHROOM, PASTEURIZE, PULPIT).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "SLUSH"" — 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.