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Spoiler warning: The clues below start gently, but the full group names and answers appear farther down. This is NYT Connections game #1017, dated Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Hints for Connections #1017
Try the themes first without looking at the solved groups:
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- Something undesirable.
- Things you might see at a ceremony.
- Types of vehicle.
- Words with two meanings that are pronounced differently.
The 16 words
LOW, WIND, FOOD, CAKE, ROW, FIRE, RING, BASE, BOW, SOW, MEAN, KISS, TOW, VOW, DUMP, VILE.
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Yellow: Despicable
BASE, LOW, MEAN, VILE.
Green: Features of a wedding
CAKE, KISS, RING, VOW.
Blue: Kinds of trucks
DUMP, FIRE, FOOD, TOW.
Purple: Heteronyms
BOW, ROW, SOW, WIND. Heteronyms are spelled alike but pronounced differently, with meaning depending on pronunciation and context.
#1 Best Overall
- ENGAGING WORD CHALLENGE: WordSnap brings a brain-boosting twist to traditional word games, letting players build words vertically, horizontally and diagonally, for an immersive gameplay experience that tests vocabulary and strategy skills
- FUN FOR EVERY SKILL LEVEL: Whether you're a word game enthusiast or just discovering them, this game is a fantastic choice for solo challenges, family game nights, fun learning tool for children, and cognitive memory aid for seniors; designed for 1-4 players ages 8 and up
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Why the groups can be tricky
Connections is built around ambiguity: the New York Times says players receive 16 words and must sort them into four groups of four, and words may seem to fit more than one theme. Its color scale runs from yellow, the easiest group, to purple, the trickiest. In this puzzle, the purple group relies on pronunciation, while the yellow group gathers words that can describe something morally low or contemptible.
TechRadar’s Marc McLaren described first trying BASE, LOW, VILE, and DUMP together, then swapping DUMP for MEAN after a “one away” result. That is his account of solving this puzzle, not a general measure of how players perform.
Rank #2
When and where to play
The daily puzzle appears at midnight in each player’s time zone, so the date shown can differ by location. The New York Times lists the NYT Games app, nytimes.com/games/connections, nytimes.com/theathletic, and the News app as places to play. Its Connections archive goes back to June 12, 2023, and is available to All Access and Games subscribers; access terms can change.
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Rank #4
- Over 100 Puzzles ? Challenging and Fun ? From America?s Favorite Game Show!Test your skills, sharpen your mind and have fun with 100+ puzzles from the makers of Wheel of Fortune Game, also known as America's Game! These themed puzzles are based on real wheel categories.
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- 160 pages.
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