What is the NYT Connections answer for April 20 (#1044)?

The four groups are MASS OF SMOKE (BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF); FISHING GEAR (BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD); ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS (CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB); ___ MONDAY (BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "___ MONDAY" — 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.

Monday, April 20, 2026#1044

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Monday, April 20

DailyWordHints Editorial April 20

MASS OF SMOKE

Easiest

FISHING GEAR

Easy

ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS

Tricky

___ MONDAY

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are MASS OF SMOKE (yellow), FISHING GEAR (green), ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS (blue), ___ MONDAY (purple).

CYBER

HOURGLASS

BLUE

CLOUD

ROD

WEB

MANIC

NET

PUFF

VENOM

HOOK

BILLOW

BAIT

PLUME

MEATLESS

CANNIBALISM

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 #1044, Monday, April 20. 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 20 (#1044)?: The four groups are MASS OF SMOKE (BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF); FISHING GEAR (BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD); ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS (CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB); ___ MONDAY (BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "___ MONDAY" — 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.