What is the NYT Connections answer for April 29 (#1053)?

The four groups are STEP IN A PROCESS (LEVEL, PHASE, ROUND, STAGE); SOUND LIKE THUNDER (BOOM, CLAP, ROLL, RUMBLE); KINDS OF PUPPETS (HAND, SHADOW, SOCK, STRING); STANDING ___ (JOKE, ORDERS, OVATION, ROOM).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STANDING ___" — 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 29, 2026#1053

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Wednesday, April 29

DailyWordHints Editorial April 29

STEP IN A PROCESS

Easiest

SOUND LIKE THUNDER

Easy

KINDS OF PUPPETS

Tricky

STANDING ___

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are STEP IN A PROCESS (yellow), SOUND LIKE THUNDER (green), KINDS OF PUPPETS (blue), STANDING ___ (purple).

ROUND

SHADOW

RUMBLE

ORDERS

OVATION

SOCK

HAND

ROLL

CLAP

JOKE

BOOM

STAGE

LEVEL

STRING

ROOM

PHASE

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 #1053, Wednesday, April 29. 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 29 (#1053)?: The four groups are STEP IN A PROCESS (LEVEL, PHASE, ROUND, STAGE); SOUND LIKE THUNDER (BOOM, CLAP, ROLL, RUMBLE); KINDS OF PUPPETS (HAND, SHADOW, SOCK, STRING); STANDING ___ (JOKE, ORDERS, OVATION, ROOM).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STANDING ___" — 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.