Waking up and realizing you've been outsmarted by a grid of sixteen words is a specific kind of Saturday morning mood. If you're looking for NYT Connections hints March 23, you're probably staring at words like "VISA" or "PROPS" and wondering if the puzzle editor is actively rooting for your downfall.
Honestly? Some days the connections are basically handed to you on a silver platter. Other days, like today, the game feels like a complex psychological trap designed to make you question your own vocabulary.
The Red Herrings Are Everywhere Today
The New York Times loves a good bait-and-switch. You probably saw VISA, CHASE, and DISCOVER and immediately thought, "Oh, easy. Credit cards."
Stop right there. That is the classic Connections "trap" that keeps people from maintaining their streaks. While those words do relate to credit cards in the real world, Wyna Liu (the puzzle's architect) rarely makes things that straightforward. If you burn your guesses on the most obvious link, you're going to end up with a "One Away" notification that ruins your morning.
Hints for the March 23 Categories
Before we get into the actual answers, let's try to nudge your brain in the right direction. Sometimes a little push is all you need to see the pattern.
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- Yellow Category Hint: Think about how you’d tell a friend they did a great job. It's all about recognition and giving someone their "flowers."
- Green Category Hint: This is about the process of realizing something or uncovering information. If you were a detective, these would be your primary actions.
- Blue Category Hint: This group is active. If you were a private investigator—or maybe just a very determined dog—you’d be doing these things to someone in front of you.
- Purple Category Hint: Grab your passport. No, seriously. Think about the physical items or data points you'd find inside that little blue book when you're crossing a border.
Breaking Down the March 23 Connections Answers
If you've run out of patience and just want to save your streak, here is the full breakdown of the categories and the words that belong in them.
Yellow: KUDOS
These are synonyms for giving someone credit or praise.
- CREDIT
- GLORY
- PRAISE
- PROPS
Green: FIND OUT
This category focuses on the lightbulb moment when you finally understand or locate something.
- DISCOVER
- FIND
- LEARN
- REALIZE
Blue: PURSUE
These words describe the act of following someone or something closely.
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- CHASE
- SHADOW
- TAIL
- TRACK
Purple: SEEN IN A PASSPORT
The hardest category today isn't actually that "hard" once you see it, but it's the one most likely to be left for last.
- NAME
- PHOTO
- STAMP
- VISA
Why Today Was Specifically Tricky
The reason NYT Connections hints March 23 are so in demand today is the crossover between DISCOVER, CHASE, and VISA.
Most players see VISA and CHASE and immediately lock in on the banking theme. It’s a clever bit of wordplay because CHASE fits perfectly into the "Pursue" category, and DISCOVER is the anchor for the "Find Out" category.
If you struggled with PROPS, you aren't alone. Most people think of "props" as the items on a movie set. Using it as a slang term for "proper respect" or "kudos" is a classic Connections move—taking a word with a very common physical definition and using its more abstract or slang meaning instead.
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Strategy for Your Next Game
If today's puzzle beat you, don't sweat it. The best way to approach these is to never hit submit on your first instinct.
Try this: find four words that seem to fit. Then, before you click, look at the remaining twelve words. Can any of them also fit into that category? If the answer is yes, you're looking at a red herring.
Also, remember that the Purple category often involves:
- Words that follow or precede another specific word (like "___ Case").
- Homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently).
- Hidden themes like "Parts of a ___" or "Things found in a ___."
Today's purple category fell into that third bucket. It wasn't about the words themselves, but about where you find them.
Actionable Next Steps
To get better at Connections and keep your streak alive through the rest of March:
- Read the words out loud. Sometimes hearing the word "Tail" helps you think of it as a verb (to tail someone) rather than just a part of an animal.
- Use the Shuffle button. It sounds simple, but your brain gets "stuck" seeing words next to each other in the grid. Shuffling breaks those mental associations.
- Look for different parts of speech. If you see a list of nouns, check if any of them can also be verbs. That’s usually where the trick lies.
Go ahead and finish up today's grid if you haven't already. Now that you know the passport and pursuit themes, the rest should fall into place.