NYT Connections is basically a daily ego check. You wake up, grab your coffee, and think, "I'm a smart person. I know words." Then Wyna Liu drops a grid that makes you feel like you’ve forgotten how to speak English. If you are staring at the NYT Connections hints April 10 grid right now and feeling that familiar spike of "wait, what?", you aren't alone.
Honestly, the April 10 puzzle is a masterclass in the "hidden in plain sight" technique. It’s got a few words that seem so obviously linked that you’ll want to smash that submit button immediately. Don’t do it. That’s how they get you. You’ve only got four mistakes before the game ends and shows you the answers in a way that feels slightly judgmental.
Let's break down the logic behind the April 10 board so you can keep your streak alive.
The Big Red Herrings
Every day, there’s a trap. On April 10, the most glaring one involves the mining industry. You’ll see CANARY, COAL, and MINE staring at you. Your brain immediately goes to "Canary in a coal mine!" and starts looking for a fourth word like "Shaft" or "Tunnel."
But look closer. CANARY is a bird, sure, but it’s also a very specific shade of yellow. This is the classic Connections bait-and-switch. When you see words that form a famous phrase, check to see if they actually belong to four completely different categories first. It’s a cruel trick, but a common one.
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NYT Connections Hints April 10: Category Clues
If you want to solve this without just being handed the answers, here are some nudges in the right direction.
- Yellow: Think about the spice rack or a fruit bowl. Everything here shares a specific visual trait.
- Green: These are all places or things used for holding onto stuff for later. Think inventory.
- Blue: Someone is being a real Scrooge here.
- Purple: This one is for the Duolingo enthusiasts, or honestly, anyone who’s ever looked at a condiment bottle or a calendar.
Yellow Category: Not Just for Birds
The Yellow category is usually the most straightforward, though "straightforward" is a relative term in this game. For the NYT Connections hints April 10 set, you are looking at things that are, well, yellow.
- CANARY
- GOLD
- LEMON
- MUSTARD
It’s a "Shades of Yellow" group. It seems simple once you see it, but because MUSTARD and LEMON could also fit into a food category, and CANARY and GOLD could fit into a mining category, it’s easy to get scrambled.
Green Category: The Stockpile
The Green group is all about having a backup. If you’re a prepper or just someone who likes a full pantry, this one might click faster.
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- MINE
- RESERVE
- STORE
- WELL
These all function as nouns representing a source or a supply of something. WELL is the tricky one here because your brain probably wants to use it as an adverb (as in "I'm doing well") or as a "get well soon" sentiment. In this context, it’s a hole in the ground full of resources.
Blue Category: The Holiday Haters
This is where the puzzle gets a little bit sassy. If you’re feeling the "anti-spirit" of the season, the Blue category will speak to you.
- BAH
- COAL
- GRINCH
- NAUGHTY
The theme here is "Anti-Spirit of Christmas." You’ve got the GRINCH, the classic BAH humbug, the COAL you get if you’re NAUGHTY. It’s a tight, cohesive group once you pull the words away from the "mining" and "behavior" distractions.
Purple Category: The Language Lesson
Purple is always the "What on Earth?" category. Today, it’s a bit of a linguistic jump.
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- ELLA
- GUSTO
- MAYO
- SOY
At first glance, this looks like a kitchen nightmare. MAYO and SOY (sauce) are condiments. GUSTO is a way of doing things. But these are actually all Spanish Words.
- ELLA means "she."
- GUSTO means "pleasure" or "taste."
- MAYO is "May."
- SOY means "I am."
The brilliance of this category is how it uses words that have completely different meanings in English to hide the Spanish connection.
Strategy for Future Puzzles
If you found yourself struggling with the NYT Connections hints April 10 grid, try the "Long Breath" method. Before you submit your first group, find at least two other potential groups. If you can only see one group of four, you are likely looking at a trap. The designers love to overlap categories.
Actionable Tips for Tomorrow
- Say the words out loud. Sometimes hearing "Well" or "Store" helps you realize they can be nouns, not just verbs.
- Check for "words that follow" or "words that start with." While not used today, often the Purple category involves adding a word like "Book" or "Cat" to every word in the group.
- Look for linguistic shifts. If a word looks like it could be from another language (like ELLA or SOY), keep that in your back pocket.
You've got the answers now, so go lock in that win. Just remember to look for the "yellow" in the "canary" next time you're tempted by a mining theme.
To improve your game for the next round, try looking at the 16 words and identifying which ones have the most meanings (like WELL or MINE). Those are almost always the "pivot" words that the NYT uses to create their most difficult categories. Master those, and the Purple category won't feel like such a mystery.