You divide 16 words into four groups of four based on a shared theme. You get four mistakes before the game ends.
NYT Connections Answers (March 30): Puzzle #1022 Made You Go Bonkers? Check Hints, & Solution
NYT Connections March 30 puzzle had tricky wordplay with imitation, car rentals, and more. Check hints and full answers here.

NYT Connections Answer: The New York Times’ daily puzzle, Connections, dropped its Monday, March 30 challenge, and it was full of tricky wordplay. Players were asked to group 16 words into four hidden categories. While some words were easy to link, others made things confusing very quickly. That’s what makes Connections fun, it looks simple, but it really tests how you think.
Like Wordle, the game resets every day and keeps players coming back for more. If today’s puzzle felt tough, here’s a clear and simple breakdown with all the hints and answers.
What Is Connections & How Do You Play?
Connections is a daily word game where you see 16 words. Your goal is to divide them into four groups of four. Each group shares a common idea or theme.
But it’s not always easy. Some words look like they belong together, but they don’t. These are called red herrings, and they are there to confuse you.
For example, “Hook,” “Nana,” “Peter,” and “Wendy” are all Peter Pan characters. Another example is “Action,” “Ballpark,” “Go,” and “Stick,” which all come before the word “Figure.”
You are allowed only four mistakes. If you make four wrong guesses, the game ends and shows the answers.
Each group also has a difficulty level shown by colors:
- Yellow (easiest)
- Green (easy)
- Blue (medium)
- Purple (hardest)
Sometimes the link is about meaning. Sometimes it’s about how words are used. And sometimes it’s something unexpected. That’s what makes Connections interesting every single day.
Hints & Full Solution To NYT Connections (March 30)
Here are today’s hints to guide you:
- Yellow hint: Not the real deal.
- Green hint: To handle or experiment with.
- Blue hint: Found at the counter, keys included.
- Purple hint: Familiar names with a little extra spice at the start.
Extra hints:
- One group involves changing or playing with a word.
- Every group has at least one word with the letter “Z.”
Need a little more help? Here’s one word from each group:
- Yellow: Ersatz
- Green: Futz
- Blue: Hertz
- Purple: Fritz
Now, here are the correct groups for today’s puzzle:
- Yellow: Imitation
- Green: Play Around (With)
- Blue: Car Rental Companies
- Purple: Snack Brands Plus Starting Letter
And finally, the full answers:
- Yellow (Imitation): Dummy, Ersatz, Faux, Mock
- Green (Play Around (With)): Futz, Mess, Tinker, Toy
- Blue (Car Rental Companies): Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz
- Purple (Snack Brands Plus Starting Letter): Fritz, Plays, Truffles, Yutz
Today’s puzzle had a few tricky overlaps. Words in the yellow and green groups could easily confuse players because they felt similar in meaning. The word “ersatz” was especially tough for many. The blue group was easier if you recognized car rental company names. The purple group needed a bit more thinking, as it played with familiar names by adding a twist at the start.
Overall, this puzzle was a bit challenging but still fun to solve once the patterns became clear.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Connections?
What are the difficulty levels in Connections?
The difficulty levels are indicated by colors: Yellow (easiest), Green (easy), Blue (medium), and Purple (hardest).
What are red herrings in Connections?
Red herrings are words that seem to fit a category but are actually meant to confuse players and test their thinking.




























