Rock Paper Shotgun published a guide for Connections #1040 on Friday, 17th April, but the piece makes clear it is for a previous day’s puzzle, not today’s. Readers looking for the current challenge are told to check the Connections hint for Thursday 23rd April instead.
That matters because Connections is one of ’ most popular and challenging daily puzzle games, and a wrong move can cost a streak. The game asks players to sort 16 words into four groups of four that share a common theme, with each set marked Yellow, Green, Blue or Purple, from easiest to hardest. The guide says players get four mistakes before they lose, which is why the hints, group themes and final answers carry real weight for anyone trying to finish cleanly.
The mismatch between the dated guide and the current puzzle is the story here. Anyone landing on the #1040 guide expecting help for today’s board will need to turn to the newer hint set, and the clue that stands out in the older puzzle is the word “tan.” The guide says it most likely refers to the layered beer cocktail known as a Black and Tan, a reminder that one small word can still steer an entire grid.
So the answer is simple: the published guide is not for today’s Connections puzzle, and players who want the live challenge should move on to the Thursday 23rd April hints before they burn through their four mistakes.
