What is the NYT Connections answer for April 15 (#1039)?

The four groups are GRADUATION GEAR (CAP, DIPLOMA, GOWN, TASSEL); TEDIOUS UNDERTAKING (CHORE, GRIND, HASSLE, TRIAL); OVERSIMPLISTIC (FACILE, FLIP, SHALLOW, TRITE); SHAPES OF CHESS PIECES (CASTLE, CROWN, HORSE, MITER).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "SHAPES OF CHESS PIECES" — 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.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026#1039

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Wednesday, April 15

DailyWordHints Editorial April 15

GRADUATION GEAR

Easiest

TEDIOUS UNDERTAKING

Easy

OVERSIMPLISTIC

Tricky

SHAPES OF CHESS PIECES

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are GRADUATION GEAR (yellow), TEDIOUS UNDERTAKING (green), OVERSIMPLISTIC (blue), SHAPES OF CHESS PIECES (purple).

TASSEL

CROWN

GOWN

HASSLE

FLIP

GRIND

CASTLE

FACILE

TRIAL

CAP

TRITE

HORSE

SHALLOW

MITER

CHORE

DIPLOMA

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 #1039, Wednesday, April 15. 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 15 (#1039)?: The four groups are GRADUATION GEAR (CAP, DIPLOMA, GOWN, TASSEL); TEDIOUS UNDERTAKING (CHORE, GRIND, HASSLE, TRIAL); OVERSIMPLISTIC (FACILE, FLIP, SHALLOW, TRITE); SHAPES OF CHESS PIECES (CASTLE, CROWN, HORSE, MITER).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "SHAPES OF CHESS PIECES" — 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.