Need help with NYT Connections for Monday, March 23, 2026? Puzzle #1016 groups its tiles around principled people, inventions, “virgin” things, and words ending in nickname homophones. Start with the spoiler-light clues below, or jump to the full answer if you’re ready.
How to play Connections
Connections asks you to sort 16 tiles into four groups of four based on a shared link. The groups are color-coded by difficulty, and you can make up to four mistakes. The daily puzzle appears at midnight in each time zone, so “today” may refer to a different puzzle depending on where you are; the date and number identify this one reliably.
Spoiler warning: hints for March 23
The hints move from broad nudges to more revealing category clues. Stop here if you want to solve the grid without seeing the answers.
Gentle hints
- A good person.
- The internet is another one.
- Richard Branson’s company name.
- Sounds like…
Category nudges
- Someone with conviction.
- Creations that moved the dial.
- An innocence shared.
- Find the hidden monikers.
Connections categories and answers
Spoilers below: These are the four categories and their tiles, in the game’s color order.
#1 Best Overall
Yellow — PRINCIPLED
DECENT, HONEST, MORAL, STAND-UP. Each describes someone considered honorable or good.
Green — GAME-CHANGING INVENTIONS
LIGHT BULB, PRINTING PRESS, SLICED BREAD, WHEEL. The category links inventions described as transformative; it is not a ranking of their historical impact. The light bulb supported safer lighting and made round-the-clock factory shifts more viable, while the printing press enabled books, newspapers, and newsletters to be mass-produced.
Blue — “VIRGIN” THINGS
MARY, MOCKTAIL, OLIVE OIL, VIRGO. Each connects to the word “virgin.”
Purple — ENDING IN NICKNAME HOMOPHONES
BRAIN STEW, BROCCOLI RABE, JUNGLE GYM, OPEN MIC. Their final sounds resemble the nicknames Stu, Abe, Jim, and Mike: stew/Stu, rabe/Abe, gym/Jim, and mic/Mike.
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Rank #3
All 16 tiles
The grid’s BROCCOLI and RABE tiles combine into the answer BROCCOLI RABE. The full set is JUNGLE GYM; STAND-UP; LIGHT BULB; BROCCOLI; RABE; OLIVE OIL; WHEEL; OPEN MIC; MARY; BRAIN STEW; MOCKTAIL; PRINTING PRESS; HONEST; MORAL; SLICED BREAD; DECENT.
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