NYT Connections #1042
Hints, category titles, and full answers for Saturday, April 18, 2026
Connections Hint #1042 — April 18, 2026
Connections Walkthrough — April 18, 2026
A breakdown of every category from the April 18, 2026 puzzle, the trap words designed to fool players, and what made it tricky.
Group-by-group breakdown (easiest to hardest)
- LOOK AT WITH AWE
You can group GOGGLE, MARVEL, STARE, and WONDER as reactions to seeing something astonishing.
- BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS
You can spot AC, DC, POWER, and VOLTAGE as common vocabulary from simple circuit lessons.
- UNEXPECTED WINNER
You can connect DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, SLEEPER, and UNDERDOG as overlooked competitors who might win.
- STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS
You can solve the leftovers by noticing CRUSH, FANTA, FRESCA, and PEPSI at the starts.
What makes this puzzle clever
The purple set hides full soda names at the front of much longer words, making familiar-looking leftovers suddenly click.
About this puzzle
This is the complete solution to NYT Connections puzzle #1042, originally published on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The four categories ranged from LOOK AT WITH AWE (the easiest, yellow group) through STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS (the trickiest, purple group, which usually involves wordplay or hidden patterns).
You can browse our complete Connections archive for every past puzzle since the game launched in June 2023, or jump to today's puzzle for the latest hints.