What is the NYT Connections answer for April 12 (#1036)?

The four groups are PANTS FEATURES (BELT LOOP, CUFF, FLY, POCKET); PERSPECTIVE (ANGLE, POSITION, STANCE, TAKE); EMIT (CAST, PROJECT, RADIATE, SHED); ___ DOLL (PAPER, RAG, RUSSIAN, TROLL).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "___ DOLL" — 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 12, 2026#1036

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Sunday, April 12

DailyWordHints Editorial April 12

PANTS FEATURES

Easiest

PERSPECTIVE

Easy

EMIT

Tricky

___ DOLL

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are PANTS FEATURES (yellow), PERSPECTIVE (green), EMIT (blue), ___ DOLL (purple).

FLY

PAPER

TAKE

CAST

TROLL

PROJECT

POCKET

ANGLE

SHED

POSITION

RUSSIAN

CUFF

RAG

RADIATE

STANCE

BELT LOOP

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 #1036, Sunday, April 12. 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 12 (#1036)?: The four groups are PANTS FEATURES (BELT LOOP, CUFF, FLY, POCKET); PERSPECTIVE (ANGLE, POSITION, STANCE, TAKE); EMIT (CAST, PROJECT, RADIATE, SHED); ___ DOLL (PAPER, RAG, RUSSIAN, TROLL).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "___ DOLL" — 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.