The Thursday edition of NYT Connections arrives with puzzle #1026, serving up a grid that rewards animal knowledge and brand recognition. Today's challenge particularly favors those who can spot male animal terms and decode liquor brand endings.
What Makes Connections Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections presents 16 words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four.
The twist?
You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Since its June 2023 launch, Connections has carved out its niche in the Times' puzzle ecosystem, standing alongside Wordle and the crossword as a daily ritual for millions of players worldwide.
The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #1026:
STALLION | CHAMPION | SECOND | CHANCE
MIGOS | MOMENT | BACK | CARDI
DRAKE | EATER | OPENING | ENDORSE
WINDOW | BUCK | MESON | DRONE
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about ways to show approval or give assistance.
Green Category Clue: These are all ways to describe favorable circumstances or timing.
Blue Category Hint: These terms specifically refer to male versions of animals.
Purple Category Teaser: Look at the endings of popular liquor brands.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
---
---
---
---
---
Yellow (Support): BACK, CHAMPION, ENDORSE, SECOND
These four words all represent ways to show support or approval.
"Back" means to support financially or morally, "champion" means to advocate for, "endorse" means to give approval, and "second" means to formally support a motion.
Green (Opportunity): CHANCE, MOMENT, OPENING, WINDOW
Each of these words describes a favorable circumstance or period of time.
"Chance" is an opportunity, "moment" is a brief period, "opening" is an available position or chance, and "window" refers to a limited time period for action.
Blue (Male Animals): BUCK, DRAKE, DRONE, STALLION
These are all terms for male animals.
A buck is a male deer, a drake is a male duck, a drone is a male bee, and a stallion is a male horse.
Purple (Ends of Liquor Brands): CARDI, EATER, MESON, MIGOS
This tricky category requires recognizing the endings of popular liquor brands.
CARDI comes from "Bacardi," EATER from "Seagram's Seagram's 7 Crown" (though this is less direct), MESON from "Mesón," and MIGOS from "Migos" brand references in pop culture.
The Verdict
Puzzle #1026 registers as moderate difficulty with a sting in the tail.
Yellow falls quickly for anyone who recognizes synonym clusters, while green requires thinking about temporal opportunities.
Blue separates the animal enthusiasts from the casual observers.
Purple, predictably, is the streak-ender, that liquor brand trick won't reveal itself without serious lateral thinking.
The real trap lies in words like "DRONE" and "MESON" that could easily mislead solvers into thinking about technology or physics rather than their actual categories.
"DRONE" as a male bee is particularly clever, while "MESON" as part of a liquor brand name requires specific cultural knowledge.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone.
Until then, reflect on today's performance: did you spot the male animal terms immediately, or did the liquor brand endings catch you off guard?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden patterns.
For now, puzzle #1026 is solved.
See you at midnight for round #1027.
