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Need a nudge before the answers? Today’s Connections puzzle, Monday, March 16, 2026, is game #1009. Start with the spoiler-light hints below, then open the answer section when you’re ready to see all 16 tiles and their four groups.
Hints for Connections #1009
Try these in order, from the gentlest nudge to the most specific:
- Yellow: Critters in a crowd.
- Green: Not fast.
- Blue: A silent letter.
- Purple: States, but shorter.
These clues point to animal collective nouns, slow-moving things, an unpronounced letter, and words that sound like U.S. state abbreviations. The hints are spoiler-light formulations published by Parade; TechRadar offers equivalent color hints.
Answers for Monday, March 16, 2026
Spoilers: The four groups and all 16 words are below.
#1 Best Overall
Yellow — Animal group names
GAGGLE, PACK, POD, PRIDE
A gaggle of geese, pack of wolves, pod of whales, and pride of lions are familiar collective names for animals, as Forbes illustrates.
Green — Things associated with being slow
GLACIER, MOLASSES, SLOTH, TRAFFIC
Each is associated with slow movement: glaciers advance gradually, molasses pours slowly, sloths move slowly, and traffic can crawl.
Blue — Silent “W”
CARTWRIGHT, TWO, WRATH, WRESTLE
The W is not pronounced in any of these words. TechRadar identifies the silent-letter connection.
Purple — Words that sound like state abbreviations
ANY, EMMY, ENVY, OKAY
Say each aloud: ANY sounds like NE (Nebraska), EMMY like ME (Maine), ENVY like NV (Nevada), and OKAY like OK (Oklahoma). Forbes gives these pairings.
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OKAY, SLOTH, ANY, TWO, WRATH, TRAFFIC, PRIDE, ENVY, CARTWRIGHT, MOLASSES, WRESTLE, PACK, POD, EMMY, GAGGLE, GLACIER.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Connections works
Sort 16 words into four groups of four. You can make up to four mistakes; the groups are color-coded by difficulty, with yellow generally easiest and purple typically most challenging. Wordplay and homophones can make plausible red herrings. You can play on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile. For this daily guide, the date and game number identify the intended puzzle: Connections changes with each daily reset.
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