NYT Connections Answer — March 18, 2026
Puzzle #1011 · 16 words, 4 groups
Here is the full solution to the NYT Connections puzzle for Wednesday, March 18, 2026 (#1011). 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
SPELL
YELL
RAIN
COAT
WHAMMY
STRETCH
CURSE
WAH
WINCE
BLANK
PATCH
HOP
DELAY
REALITY
REVERB
PERIOD
The four groups
Yellow · StraightforwardINTERVAL
PATCH, PERIOD, SPELL, STRETCH
Green · ModerateREACT TO A STUBBED TOE
CURSE, HOP, WINCE, YELL
Blue · TrickyGUITAR EFFECTS PEDALS
DELAY, REVERB, WAH, WHAMMY
Purple · Trickiest___ CHECK
BLANK, COAT, RAIN, REALITY
No spoilers — tap to show the answers
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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 #1011, 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.