What is the NYT Connections answer for May 4 (#1058)?

The four groups are TENDER-HEARTED PERSON (MARSHMALLOW, SOFTIE, SWEETHEART, TEDDY BEAR); PELLET-FILLED THINGS (BEANIE BABY, DESICCANT PACKET, EYE PILLOW, HACKY SACK); THINGS WITH KNOBS (CONTROL PANEL, ETCH A SKETCH, RADIO, STOVE); STARTING WITH FAMILIAR NAMES FOR KINDS OF DOGS (CHOWDER, DOODLEBUG, LABUBU, PITTER-PATTER).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "STARTING WITH FAMILIAR NAMES FOR KINDS OF DOGS" — 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, May 4, 2026#1058

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Monday, May 4

DailyWordHints Editorial May 4

TENDER-HEARTED PERSON

Easiest

PELLET-FILLED THINGS

Easy

THINGS WITH KNOBS

Tricky

STARTING WITH FAMILIAR NAMES FOR KINDS OF DOGS

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are TENDER-HEARTED PERSON (yellow), PELLET-FILLED THINGS (green), THINGS WITH KNOBS (blue), STARTING WITH FAMILIAR NAMES FOR KINDS OF DOGS (purple).

MARSHMALLOW

LABUBU

RADIO

CHOWDER

BEANIE BABY

STOVE

PITTER-PATTER

ETCH A SKETCH

TEDDY BEAR

DESICCANT PACKET

DOODLEBUG

SWEETHEART

HACKY SACK

CONTROL PANEL

SOFTIE

EYE PILLOW

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 #1058, Monday, May 4. 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 May 4 (#1058)?: The four groups are TENDER-HEARTED PERSON (MARSHMALLOW, SOFTIE, SWEETHEART, TEDDY BEAR); PELLET-FILLED THINGS (BEANIE BABY, DESICCANT PACKET, EYE PILLOW, HACKY SACK); THINGS WITH KNOBS (CONTROL PANEL, ETCH A SKETCH, RADIO, STOVE); STARTING WITH FAMILIAR NAMES FOR KINDS OF DOGS (CHOWDER, DOODLEBUG, LABUBU, PITTER-PATTER).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "STARTING WITH FAMILIAR NAMES FOR KINDS OF DOGS" — 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.