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Need help with NYT Connections for March 23, 2026? This is game #1016. Start with the graduated hints below, then stop before the spoiler warning if you still want to solve it yourself.
Identify today’s Connections puzzle
The date here is Monday, March 23, 2026, puzzle #1016. Because a new Connections puzzle appears at midnight in each time zone, “today” can refer to a different edition depending on where you are. TechRadar’s March 23 guide identifies this edition as #1016; Parade’s guide independently gives the same date and number.
Connections asks you to sort 16 terms into four groups of four, with a shared connection within each group. The puzzle is published by The New York Times as part of NYT Games. Tom’s Guide’s Connections overview describes the format and its June 12, 2023 beta release.
Hints for March 23
Try the first nudge before moving to the next. The hints point toward the themes without giving away the full groups.
#1 Best Overall
- The game where _______ minds think alike!
- Prepare yourself for Blank Slate, a game of addicting predictions! How well can you put your finger on what everyone's thinking?
- Pick a Word Cue card, write the word you think best completes the phrase, and try to match it to anther player's word without giving a single hint
- Easy to learn, quick to play, and fun for the whole family; just grab a slate, write a word, and get ready to make a match. Great for large groups or small gatherings!
- Includes: Scoreboard, 8 dry-erase slates, 250 doubled-sided word cue cards, rules
- Yellow: Someone with conviction.
- Green: Creations that moved the dial.
- Blue: An innocence shared.
- Purple: Find the hidden monikers.
These graduated clues are drawn from TechRadar’s puzzle guide. For a shorter set of nudges, Parade offers “A good person,” “The internet is another one,” “Richard Branson’s company name,” and “Sounds like…” in its March 23 guide.
Spoilers: full categories and answers
Stop here if you still want to solve the puzzle. The category labels and all 16 answers follow.
Rank #2
- STRATEGIC THINKING: Elevate the fun with this game, where players strategically choose word combinations, making it perfect for party games for adults and family, enhancing both depth and complexity.
- MULTIPLAYER FUN: Engage in multiplayer entertainment with Subtext Showdown, perfect for game nights with 3 to 6 participants, promoting communication and creative thinking in the realm of adult games for game night.
- POINTS OF PRECISION: Accumulate points by adeptly deducing associations or demonstrating telepathic synchronicity, ensuring a gratifying experience for effective communication and intuitive connections in adult board games.
- RACE AGAINST TIME: With a ticking clock, players must think quickly and make their associations before time runs out, adding an exciting element of urgency to the game.
- EXCITING PERFECT GIFT: Combine phrases from the 16 cards to form associations that friends can decode, providing an exhilarating challenge in teen-friendly card games, perfect gift for any occasion.
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| PRINCIPLED | DECENT, HONEST, MORAL, STAND-UP |
| GAME-CHANGING INVENTIONS | LIGHT BULB, PRINTING PRESS, SLICED BREAD, WHEEL |
| “VIRGIN” THINGS | MARY, MOCKTAIL, OLIVE OIL, VIRGO |
| ENDING IN NICKNAME HOMOPHONES | BRAIN STEW, BROCCOLI RABE, JUNGLE GYM, OPEN MIC |
These category-to-word mappings are reported by TechRadar and independently by Parade.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the last group is tricky
The purple group uses the sound at the end of each phrase: “stew” sounds like “Stu,” “rabe” like “Ray,” “gym” like “Jim,” and “mic” like “Mike.” The words before those endings complete the four phrases in the answer table.
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Rank #3
- Two teams race to identify their agents from a 5×5 grid, guided by a spymaster who knows each card’s identity
- Spymasters give one-word clues and a number to link multiple cards, encouraging creative thinking
- Teammates guess words matching the clue while avoiding the other team’s agents, bystanders, and the assassin
- Revealing the assassin ends the game instantly, adding high-stakes tension
- Teams may guess up to the clue number plus one, allowing strategic risks or revisiting old clues
Connections can encourage quick associations between words, but a plausible link is not enough: the four terms must form a complete set. A 2024 study discusses that general challenge and evaluates its approach on a 358-puzzle benchmark; that benchmark count is about the study dataset, not this individual game. Read the paper on arXiv.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- UNIQUE COOPERATIVE WORD GAME: Write one clue connecting two keywords on each clover leaf. Teammates guess which keyword pair each clue links in this inventive, laugh-out-loud word association game
- CREATIVE PARTY GAME FOR ADULTS: So Clover! challenges players to make unexpected word connections. The more creative your clues, the higher your team scores in this hilarious adult party game
- GREAT FOR WORD GAME FANS: So Clover! takes cooperative word games to the next level with a unique multi-clue clover structure that delivers fresh, surprising, and satisfying creative connections
- FAST, FUN & SOCIAL: Plays in under 30 minutes with 3-6 players ages 10 and up. So Clover! is quick to setup, with no filler, just pure creative energy and highly collaborative family fun from the very first round
- IDEAL GIFT FOR ADULTS & FAMILIES: So Clover! is the party game gift for anyone who loves wordplay and creative thinking. Easy to teach in minutes, endlessly engaging at any family game night
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