Home/Connections Answers/#1009 · Mar 16, 2026

NYT Connections Answer — March 16, 2026

Puzzle #1009 · 16 words, 4 groups

Answers verified by hand · updated every morning

Here is the full solution to the NYT Connections puzzle for Monday, March 16, 2026 (#1009). The 16-word board is below, followed by all four groups — in difficulty order from yellow (easiest) to purple (trickiest). Answers stay hidden until you tap Reveal, so you can peek at the board first.

Today's board

OKAY

SLOTH

ANY

TWO

WRATH

TRAFFIC

PRIDE

ENVY

CARTWRIGHT

MOLASSES

WRESTLE

PACK

POD

EMMY

GAGGLE

GLACIER

The four groups

Yellow · StraightforwardANIMAL GROUP NAMES

GAGGLE, PACK, POD, PRIDE

Green · ModerateTHINGS ASSOCIATED WITH BEING SLOW

GLACIER, MOLASSES, SLOTH, TRAFFIC

Blue · TrickySILENT "W"

CARTWRIGHT, TWO, WRATH, WRESTLE

Purple · TrickiestWORDS THAT SOUND LIKE STATE ABBREVIATIONS

ANY, EMMY, ENVY, OKAY

No spoilers — tap to show the answers

← Previous#1008 · Mar 15 Next →#1010 · Mar 17

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How Connections works

NYT Connections gives you a grid of 16 words. Your goal is to sort them into four groups of four, where each group shares a hidden connection. The groups are colour-coded by difficulty: yellow is the most straightforward, then green and blue, and purple is usually the trickiest — often a wordplay or category twist. You get four mistakes before the game ends, and words that could fit more than one group are the classic traps.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are today's Connections answers?

Tap Reveal the 4 groups above to see all four categories and their words for #1009, in difficulty order from yellow to purple.

What do the colours mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, followed by green and blue, and purple is the hardest — usually the one with a twist or wordplay.

When does the next Connections come out?

A new NYT Connections puzzle is released every day. We publish the verified answers each morning.

Where do I play Connections?

Play free at nytimes.com/games/connections or in the NYT Games app. This is an independent reference site, not affiliated with The New York Times.