After yesterday’s NYT Connections emoticon-based puzzle, we have one more. Today’s puzzle presented players with a diverse set of words that required thinking beyond the obvious. Let’s break down the official solution for April 2, 2025, and explore the clever connections behind each category.
The Four Categories Revealed
Green (Easiest): ILK
This category groups words that all mean “variety” or “category.” When you say something is “of that ilk,” you’re referring to things of that kind, sort, type, or like nature.
Yellow: CAPRICE
These words all represent sudden, unpredictable desires or actions. A caprice is essentially a whim or impulse – something done on a lark or according to one’s fancy rather than through careful planning.
Blue: WILLIAMSES
- HANK
- ROBIN
- TENNESSEE
- VENUS
This category features people with the surname Williams. The group includes country music star Hank Williams, actor Robin Williams, playwright Tennessee Williams, and tennis champion Venus Williams.
Purple (Hardest): WORDS PRONOUNCED DIFFERENTLY AS PROPER NOUNS
- HERB (silent ‘h’ as a common noun in American English, pronounced ‘h’ in the name)
- JOB (different vowel sound in the biblical name compared to the common noun)
- NICE (the city in France is pronounced differently from the adjective)
- READING (the town in England is pronounced “RED-ing” unlike the verb form)
The most challenging category featured words that change pronunciation when used as proper nouns versus their common usage.
Analysis
Today’s puzzle showcased the versatility of the English language while testing players’ knowledge across various domains. The “ILK” category was likely the most straightforward to identify, while the pronunciation category required more specialized linguistic knowledge.
The Williams category presented an interesting challenge, as players needed to recognize the surname connection across different fields from sports to entertainment and literature.
What made this puzzle particularly tricky was how some words could seem to fit multiple categories initially. For example, “FANCY” could be misinterpreted as related to “NICE” if focusing on positive descriptors, or “LARK” might be grouped with “ROBIN” if thinking about birds.
Did you solve today’s puzzle? Which group did you identify first, and which one gave you the most trouble?
