What is the NYT Connections answer for April 18 (#1042)?

The four groups are LOOK AT WITH AWE (GOGGLE, MARVEL, STARE, WONDER); BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS (AC, DC, POWER, VOLTAGE); UNEXPECTED WINNER (DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, SLEEPER, UNDERDOG); STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS (CRUSHWORTHY, FANTAGRAPHICS, FRESCADE, PEPSINOGEN).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS" — 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.

Saturday, April 18, 2026#1042

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Saturday, April 18

DailyWordHints Editorial April 18

LOOK AT WITH AWE

Easiest

BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS

Easy

UNEXPECTED WINNER

Tricky

STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are LOOK AT WITH AWE (yellow), BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS (green), UNEXPECTED WINNER (blue), STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS (purple).

MARVEL

CRUSHWORTHY

POWER

FANTAGRAPHICS

DARK HORSE

VOLTAGE

WONDER

SLEEPER

FRESCADE

STARE

LONG SHOT

PEPSINOGEN

UNDERDOG

GOGGLE

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 #1042, Saturday, April 18. 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 18 (#1042)?: The four groups are LOOK AT WITH AWE (GOGGLE, MARVEL, STARE, WONDER); BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS (AC, DC, POWER, VOLTAGE); UNEXPECTED WINNER (DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, SLEEPER, UNDERDOG); STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS (CRUSHWORTHY, FANTAGRAPHICS, FRESCADE, PEPSINOGEN).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS" — 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.