The New York Times has released the answers to its popular Connections puzzle for March 31, 2026, providing a fun challenge for fans of the game. The puzzle's theme is "shortage," with the four yellow answers being absence, crunch, deficit, and pinch. Players can now compare their answers to the correct ones and see how they stack up.
The puzzle also features a theme of "parts of a pirate ship" for the green group, with the four answers being cannon, crow's nest, Jolly Roger, and plank. In the blue group, the theme is "kinds of bras," with the four answers being plunge, push-up, sports, and wireless. The purple group has a theme of "starting with baby animals," with the four answers being calf raise, chick flick, fry cook, and Kit Kat.
For those looking to improve their Connections skills, the New York Times has also released a list of some of the toughest puzzles so far. These include puzzles that feature themes such as "things you can set," "one in a dozen," "streets on screen," and "power _."
When the New York Times says its Connections puzzle is a "pretty fun one," that means the game's developers are using engaging themes and clever wordplay to keep players hooked. The fact that the puzzle features a theme of "shortage" and includes answers like "absence" and "crunch" suggests that the game is designed to be thought-provoking, making players think about the connections between words in a more meaningful way.