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NYT Connections #1,044 for Monday, April 20, 2026, is a moderately difficult grid built around misleading internet-related words. The easiest entry point is the fishing-gear group, while the final category depends on recognizing four different expressions that can come before “Monday.”
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How to play NYT Connections
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to divide them into four groups of four. Each group is linked by a common relationship. Select four words and submit your guess; you can make up to four incorrect guesses before the puzzle ends.
The groups are commonly presented in increasing difficulty: yellow, green, blue, and purple. Some words can appear to belong to more than one group, so the goal is to find the intended connections rather than simply assemble any four-word association.
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Connections #1,044 word list
Here are the 16 words in the Monday, April 20 puzzle:
CYBER, HOURGLASS, BLUE, CLOUD, ROD, WEB, MANIC, NET, PUFF, VENOM, HOOK, BILLOW, BAIT, PLUME, MEATLESS, CANNIBALISM
Hints for today’s Connections
Try the puzzle before revealing the answers. These hints move from broad to specific.
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- Yellow: A visible mass or movement of smoke.
- Green: Equipment used to catch fish.
- Blue: Things associated with black widow spiders.
- Purple: Words that can precede “Monday.”
One-word reveal from each group
Need a stronger nudge? One word from each category is:
- Yellow: PUFF
- Green: HOOK
- Blue: VENOM
- Purple: MANIC
Spoiler: NYT Connections #1,044 answers
Stop here if you are still solving. The complete solution for Monday, April 20, 2026, is below.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Mass of smoke | BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF |
| Green | Fishing gear | BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD |
| Blue | Associated with black widow spiders | CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB |
| Purple | ___ Monday | BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS |
Yellow: Mass of smoke — BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF
BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, and PUFF can all describe a visible mass, column, or burst of smoke. “Cloud” is the especially deceptive word here because it may initially suggest the internet or computing.
Green: Fishing gear — BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD
BAIT, HOOK, NET, and ROD are familiar fishing equipment or fishing materials. This is likely the most direct group in the grid and a useful place to begin.
Blue: Associated with black widow spiders — CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB
CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, and WEB are all associated with black widow spiders. The hourglass refers to the characteristic red marking commonly seen on the underside of the spider’s abdomen. Venom and webs are straightforward associations, while cannibalism connects both with the species’ behavior and the familiar “black widow” name.
Purple: ___ Monday — BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS
BLUE Monday, Cyber Monday, Manic Monday, and Meatless Monday complete the purple group. They come from different contexts rather than one shared subject: Blue Monday and Manic Monday are phrases or song titles, Cyber Monday is the major online-shopping day following the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and Meatless Monday describes a recurring practice or campaign encouraging people to avoid meat on Mondays.
The main red herring: internet words
CLOUD, CYBER, NET, and WEB can look like an obvious technology or internet group. That is the puzzle’s central trap, but they do not belong together in the final solution:
- CLOUD belongs with the smoke terms.
- CYBER belongs with the words that precede “Monday.”
- NET belongs with fishing gear.
- WEB belongs with black widow associations.
The grid becomes much easier once “cloud” is treated as a physical mass of smoke rather than a computing term, and “net” and “web” are separated by their intended contexts.
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Want more Connections-style puzzles?
For readers who enjoy the format away from a screen, the official Connections puzzle book is a print companion from The New York Times Games, published by Simon & Schuster. It is an offline way to play similar Connections puzzles; it is not a print copy or archive of the specific April 20, 2026, daily puzzle, #1,044.
Product availability and edition details can change, so check the current listing before buying.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the answer to NYT Connections #1,044 for April 20, 2026?
The four groups are Mass of smoke (BILLOW, CLOUD, PLUME, PUFF); Fishing gear (BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD); Associated with black widow spiders (CANNIBALISM, HOURGLASS, VENOM, WEB); and ___ Monday (BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, MEATLESS).
What is the hardest group in Connections #1,044?
The purple ___ Monday group is likely the most difficult because BLUE, CYBER, MANIC, and MEATLESS come from different phrases and contexts. The internet-related words also create a strong red herring.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat is the Connections red herring for April 20, 2026?
CLOUD, CYBER, NET, and WEB look like an internet-related group, but they are deliberately split among three categories: smoke, fishing gear, black widow associations, and ___ Monday.
The Bottom Line
Connections #1,044 separates four tempting internet-related words across the grid. Start with BAIT, HOOK, NET, ROD, then identify the smoke group, black widow associations, and finally the four expressions ending in “Monday.”
Quick Recap
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