NYT Connections for Thursday, March 12, 2026, is puzzle #1005. Try the spoiler-free clues below before opening the full solution; the four groups are revealed farther down.
Hints for Connections #1005
Connections gives you 16 words to sort into four groups of four, each linked by a shared theme. The game releases a new puzzle at midnight in your local timezone, so “today” can refer to a different puzzle depending on where you are. These clues and answers are for the fixed date of March 12, 2026.
- One group is about places or objects associated with something granular.
- One group moves repeatedly in alternating directions.
- One group points to exercise classes built around equipment.
- One group has a connection to birds.
Answers for March 12, 2026
Spoilers below: the category names and all 16 answers are listed here.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | PLACES TO FIND SAND | BUNKER, DESERT, HOURGLASS, SANDBOX |
| Green | THINGS THAT MOVE BACK AND FORTH | METRONOME, PENDULUM, SWING, WINDSHIELD WIPER |
| Blue | APPARATUS-BASED EXERCISE CLASSES | BARRE, REFORMER, SPIN, STEP |
| Purple | FEATURING BIRDS | CUCKOO CLOCK, FROOT LOOPS, MEXICAN FLAG, WEATHER VANE |
Why the answers fit
Yellow: Places to find sand
A golf bunker is a sand trap; deserts and sandboxes contain sand, and an hourglass holds sand. Forbes explains the bunker connection in its answer breakdown.
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Green: Things that move back and forth
A metronome, pendulum, swing, and windshield wiper all move repeatedly in alternating directions.
Blue: Apparatus-based exercise classes
Each word refers to a class associated with equipment: barre uses a bar, Reformer refers to Pilates equipment, Spin uses a stationary bicycle, and Step uses a step platform. TechRadar’s answer page describes these equipment links.
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Purple: Featuring birds
The bird links are a cuckoo clock, the toucan on Froot Loops packaging, the eagle on the Mexican flag, and the bird often shown on a weather vane. Weather vanes can depict other figures as well; TechRadar notes that designs may include dolphins or dragons instead of a cockerel.
How Connections works
The New York Times describes Connections as a word game in which players find themes among 16 words and sort them into four groups of four. Each group has a color, with yellow the easiest and purple the trickiest. The puzzle is designed to be challenging because words can seem to fit more than one category; the game’s editors curate words and categories using the Oxford Dictionary. See the NYT Help Center’s Connections guide for official rules and access details.
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Can you play the March 12 puzzle in the archive?
The NYT Help Center says the Connections archive is available to All Access and Games subscribers and includes puzzles dating back to June 12, 2023. March 12, 2026, falls within that range, but access depends on subscription eligibility, and a puzzle that you have already completed cannot be replayed.
Quick Recap
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