NYT Connections Hints, Answers for April 20: Puzzle #1044
Filmogaz.com covers the New York Times Connections puzzle published April 20, 2026. Puzzle #1044 gave many solvers a stiff challenge.
One clue surprised players by referring to cannibalism. The mix of themes made grouping tricky for casual solvers.
The Times runs a Connections Bot similar to its Wordle bot. Registered players can track puzzles completed, win rate, perfect scores, and streaks.
Hints and group order
Hints helped move solvers toward each category. The clues were ranked from easiest to hardest.
- Yellow group hint: Cough, cough!
- Green group hint: Reel it in.
- Blue group hint: Spin a web.
- Purple group hint: Not Sunday or Tuesday.
Answers
Below are the grouped solutions. This section provides NYT Connections hints and answers for April 20.
Yellow group — mass of smoke
The four yellow entries all denote smoke formations.
- billow
- cloud
- plume
- puff
Green group — fishing gear
The green words identified common fishing equipment.
- bait
- hook
- net
- rod
Blue group — associated with black widow spiders
The blue set included a biological and behavioral mix. One answer surprised many players.
- cannibalism
- hourglass
- venom
- web
Purple group — ____ Monday
The purple quartet completed common Monday modifiers.
- blue
- cyber
- manic
- meatless
Tough Connections puzzles to study
Filmogaz.com keeps a short list of past hard puzzles. Reviewing them can reveal recurring patterns.
- #5 — things you can set: mood, record, table, volleyball.
- #4 — one in a dozen: egg, juror, month, rose.
- #3 — streets on screen: Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame.
- #2 — power ___: nap, plant, Ranger, trip.
- #1 — things that can run: candidate, faucet, mascara, nose.
For comparison, try the official NYT Connections Bot after you play. It rates solutions and logs Puzzle #1044 results for registered players.
