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The four groups are SUPPORT, OPPORTUNITY, MALE ANIMALS, and ENDS OF LIQUOR BRANDS. The trickiest category uses word endings that become recognizable liquor brands when completed: CARDI, EATER, MESON, and MIGOS.
NYT Connections #1026: The complete grid
The 16 tiles in the Thursday, April 2 puzzle were:
STALLION, CHAMPION, SECOND, CHANCE, MIGOS, MOMENT, BACK, CARDI, DRAKE, EATER, OPENING, ENDORSE, WINDOW, BUCK, MESON, DRONE
Here is the solved grid:
| Category | Tiles |
|---|---|
| SUPPORT | BACK, CHAMPION, ENDORSE, SECOND |
| OPPORTUNITY | CHANCE, MOMENT, OPENING, WINDOW |
| MALE ANIMALS | BUCK, DRAKE, DRONE, STALLION |
| ENDS OF LIQUOR BRANDS | CARDI, EATER, MESON, MIGOS |
Yellow: SUPPORT
BACK, CHAMPION, ENDORSE, SECOND
Each of these words can mean to support or approve of someone or something.
#1 Best Overall
- You can back a candidate, plan, or proposal.
- To champion a cause is to actively support it.
- To endorse something is to approve it publicly or formally.
- To second a motion is to formally support bringing it forward for consideration.
SECOND is the likely stumbling block. Most players first associate it with a unit of time or with coming after first place. In this category, however, it is being used as a verb: someone who seconds a motion supports the proposal.
Green: OPPORTUNITY
CHANCE, MOMENT, OPENING, WINDOW
These four words describe an opportunity or a favorable time to act.
- A chance is an opportunity or possibility.
- The right moment is a suitable time to do something.
- An opening can be an available opportunity, especially in a competitive situation.
- A window can mean a limited period during which an action is possible.
The familiar phrase “window of opportunity” helps confirm the last word. Once the SUPPORT group is removed, these four are the most natural remaining synonym set.
Rank #2
Blue: MALE ANIMALS
BUCK, DRAKE, DRONE, STALLION
All four tiles identify male animals:
- A buck is a male deer.
- A drake is a male duck.
- A drone is a male bee.
- A stallion is an adult male horse.
This group is harder than the first two because some of its words have prominent alternate associations. DRAKE can look like the name of the rapper, while STALLION may evoke Megan Thee Stallion. Those associations are intentional-feeling distractions, but the animal meanings are the ones that matter here.
Purple: ENDS OF LIQUOR BRANDS
CARDI, EATER, MESON, MIGOS
The four words are not a meaningful category by themselves. They are the visible endings of liquor-brand names:
| Tile | Completed brand |
|---|---|
| CARDI | BaCARDI |
| EATER | BeefeEATER |
| MESON | JaMESON |
| MIGOS | CasaMIGOS |
This is the puzzle’s most difficult connection because the tiles are fragments rather than synonyms or complete names. MESON looks especially odd until it is attached to “Ja,” and EATER becomes much clearer when it is recognized as the end of “Beefeater.” The category wording refers to the portions displayed in the grid; it does not mean that every tile is necessarily the final four letters of its full brand name.
Rank #3
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The main red herrings
Several tiles can suggest musicians or rappers:
- DRAKE can refer to the performer Drake.
- CARDI may suggest Cardi B.
- MIGOS is also the name of the hip-hop group.
- STALLION can point toward Megan Thee Stallion.
- CHANCE may evoke Chance the Rapper.
That apparent music theme does not produce a complete group. DRAKE belongs with the male animals, while CARDI and MIGOS are pieces of liquor brands. The word “stallion” is also being used literally as an animal, not as part of an artist’s stage name.
A practical way to solve #1026
- Start with the direct support verbs. BACK, CHAMPION, ENDORSE, and SECOND form a clean group once SECOND is read as a verb.
- Look for opportunity synonyms. CHANCE, MOMENT, OPENING, and WINDOW all describe a favorable possibility or time.
- Re-examine the remaining animal terms. BUCK, DRAKE, DRONE, and STALLION are all specifically male animals.
- Test the leftovers as word completions. CARDI, EATER, MESON, and MIGOS expand into Bacardi, Beefeater, Jameson, and Casamigos.
The order also explains the puzzle’s difficulty curve. The yellow and green groups rely on relatively accessible meanings. The blue group requires resisting pop-culture associations, and the purple group requires recognizing incomplete brand names.
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How difficult was Connections #1026?
Difficulty reports for this puzzle vary. One account described it as hard, while another cited an NYT difficulty estimate of 2.3 out of 5. Those assessments are not necessarily contradictory: a numeric average can rate the puzzle as moderately difficult even when an individual solver finds the purple category especially frustrating.
Rank #4
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As with every Connections board, the game presents 16 words or other tiles and asks players to divide them into four groups of four. Players can make up to four mistakes. The categories are color-coded, with yellow generally representing the easiest group and purple the most difficult, although the actual solving experience depends on the particular words and misdirection in each puzzle.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Want more puzzles after solving?
Readers who enjoy Connections but want a screen-free option may want to look at Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More!, a physical New York Times Games puzzle collection. It was published by Authors Equity in October 2025 and adapts several digital games, including Connections, into an offline book format. It is a companion for more puzzle solving rather than a tool needed to solve this particular grid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the NYT Connections answers for April 2, 2026?
The four categories are SUPPORT, OPPORTUNITY, MALE ANIMALS, and ENDS OF LIQUOR BRANDS.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11What are the liquor-brand endings in Connections #1026?
The tiles are CARDI, EATER, MESON, and MIGOS, completing Bacardi, Beefeater, Jameson, and Casamigos.
Best Value
Why is SECOND in the SUPPORT category?
As a verb, to second a motion means to formally support or endorse a proposal.
Which Connections tiles look like music references?
DRAKE, CARDI, MIGOS, and STALLION can suggest musicians or music acts, but those associations are red herrings in this puzzle.
The Bottom Line
The cleanest route through Connections #1026 is to take BACK, CHAMPION, ENDORSE, and SECOND as SUPPORT; CHANCE, MOMENT, OPENING, and WINDOW as OPPORTUNITY; and then use the remaining tiles to identify MALE ANIMALS and the liquor-brand endings hidden in Bacardi, Beefeater, Jameson, and Casamigos.
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