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Spoiler warning: This page gives progressively stronger hints and then the complete solution to the archived NYT Connections puzzle for Wednesday, April 1, 2026—puzzle #1025. Stop before the answer section if you are still solving.
First, what made this Connections puzzle different?
This April Fools’ Day edition used visual rebus-style tiles instead of presenting every answer as an ordinary word or phrase. The formatting was part of the clue: colors, stacked words, and unusual layouts had to be interpreted before the entries became recognizable brands, bands, movies, or city nicknames.
As usual, the objective was to divide 16 entries into four groups of four. The four groups were assigned color-coded difficulty tiers, and players had up to four incorrect guesses.
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NYT Connections hints for April 1, 2026
Here are the category-level clues, from least revealing to more revealing:
- Yellow: Recognizable beer labels.
- Green: Names of rock bands.
- Blue: Movie titles.
- Purple: Familiar nicknames for major U.S. cities.
One stronger clue for each group
These clues reveal a representative answer without listing all four entries:
- Yellow: RED STRIPE
- Green: GREEN DAY
- Blue: BLUE VELVET
- Purple: SECOND CITY
If you want to keep solving, pause here. The complete categories and entries are below.
NYT Connections answers for Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Yellow: BEER BRANDS
- BLUE MOON
- DOS EQUIS
- MILLER HIGH LIFE
- RED STRIPE
The visual presentation helped turn the tiles into familiar beer names. For example, a color paired with a word such as “STRIPE” resolves to RED STRIPE, while BLUE MOON is another recognizable beer label.
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- GREEN DAY
- PINK FLOYD
- THREE DOORS DOWN
- U2
This group mixes conventional-looking band names with the number-and-letter styling of U2. GREEN DAY was also represented visually with “DAY” in green, making the formatting itself part of the answer.
Blue: MOVIES
- BACK TO THE FUTURE
- BLUE VELVET
- SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
- TOP GUN
The movie group is especially dependent on reading the tiles as rebuses. One layout placed “THE” above “SINGIN” above “RAIN,” pointing to SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. BLUE VELVET supplied the stronger clue for this category, but the complete set also included three other well-known film titles.
Purple: U.S. city nicknames
- BIG APPLE — New York City
- BIG EASY — New Orleans
- MILE HIGH CITY — Denver
- SECOND CITY — Chicago
This was the most knowledge-dependent group because the answers are nicknames rather than the cities’ actual names. The visual tile for BIG APPLE reportedly split “APP” above “LE,” while MILE HIGH CITY was suggested by placing “MILE” above “CITY.”
Why the rebus-style format mattered
The puzzle was not simply asking whether an entry could belong to a familiar category. It also asked solvers to reconstruct what the visual arrangement represented. Among the notable presentations were:
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- “DAY” shown in green, producing GREEN DAY.
- “STRIPE” shown in red, producing RED STRIPE.
- “APP” positioned above “LE,” producing APPLE as part of BIG APPLE.
- “THE,” “SINGIN,” and “RAIN” stacked vertically, suggesting SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN.
- “MILE” placed above “CITY,” suggesting MILE HIGH CITY.
That design creates potential false starts: a color may look like a category clue, while its actual job is to complete a brand or band name. Reading the words, colors, and positions together is the key to this particular edition.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Want more Connections puzzles?
For readers who prefer solving away from the daily app, the official NYT Connections puzzle book offers more than 100 puzzles in a physical, offline format that can be marked up. It is the closest match for someone who wants additional category-matching puzzles rather than a general collection.
A broader option is Puzzle Mania!, an official New York Times Games collection that includes Connections alongside other puzzle formats. It may suit readers who want variety, but it is not exclusively a Connections book.
Quick answer recap
| Color | Category | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Beer brands | BLUE MOON, DOS EQUIS, MILLER HIGH LIFE, RED STRIPE |
| Green | Rock bands | GREEN DAY, PINK FLOYD, THREE DOORS DOWN, U2 |
| Blue | Movies | BACK TO THE FUTURE, BLUE VELVET, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, TOP GUN |
| Purple | U.S. city nicknames | BIG APPLE, BIG EASY, MILE HIGH CITY, SECOND CITY |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the April 1, 2026 NYT Connections puzzle unusual?
The April 1, 2026 puzzle used visual rebus-style tiles. Colors, stacked words, and unusual positioning helped form answers such as GREEN DAY, RED STRIPE, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, BIG APPLE, and MILE HIGH CITY.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWhat was the purple category in Connections puzzle #1025?
The purple group was U.S. city nicknames: BIG APPLE for New York City, BIG EASY for New Orleans, MILE HIGH CITY for Denver, and SECOND CITY for Chicago.
The Bottom Line
The April 1, 2026 NYT Connections solution was built around visual rebuses: beer brands, rock bands, movies, and U.S. city nicknames. The complete groups were BLUE MOON, DOS EQUIS, MILLER HIGH LIFE, RED STRIPE; GREEN DAY, PINK FLOYD, THREE DOORS DOWN, U2; BACK TO THE FUTURE, BLUE VELVET, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, TOP GUN; and BIG APPLE, BIG EASY, MILE HIGH CITY, SECOND CITY.
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