What is the NYT Connections answer for April 9 (#1033)?

The four groups are GLOOMY (BLUE, DARK, DOWN, LOW); OINTMENT (BALM, CREAM, PASTE, RUB); ZODIAC SYMBOLS (ARCHER, FISH, GOAT, RAM); MUSCULAR, MINUS "ED" SOUND (JACK, RIP, SHRED, YOKE).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "MUSCULAR, MINUS "ED" SOUND" — 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.

Thursday, April 9, 2026#1033

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Thursday, April 9

DailyWordHints Editorial April 9

GLOOMY

Easiest

OINTMENT

Easy

ZODIAC SYMBOLS

Tricky

MUSCULAR, MINUS "ED" SOUND

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are GLOOMY (yellow), OINTMENT (green), ZODIAC SYMBOLS (blue), MUSCULAR, MINUS "ED" SOUND (purple).

RAM

JACK

RIP

GOAT

BLUE

YOKE

CREAM

LOW

FISH

DOWN

DARK

PASTE

SHRED

RUB

ARCHER

BALM

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 #1033, Thursday, April 9. 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 9 (#1033)?: The four groups are GLOOMY (BLUE, DARK, DOWN, LOW); OINTMENT (BALM, CREAM, PASTE, RUB); ZODIAC SYMBOLS (ARCHER, FISH, GOAT, RAM); MUSCULAR, MINUS "ED" SOUND (JACK, RIP, SHRED, YOKE).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "MUSCULAR, MINUS "ED" SOUND" — 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.