NYT Connections Hint: Clues & Answers – (#1042)
Four words here are secretly wearing soda brand name badges.
Written by Vaibhav RajputConnections Puzzle #1042 — April 18, 2026
MARVEL, DC, WONDER, and DARK HORSE all scream comic books, while CRUSHWORTHY, FANTAGRAPHICS, FRESCADE, and PEPSINOGEN look like they wandered in from a science textbook or a marketing deck — this grid collides pop culture, electricity jargon, and words that feel almost made-up.
The editor's trick is that four of the longest, strangest-looking words are not categories unto themselves — each one is a real English word or phrase that secretly begins with a soda brand name.
This one is hard — the comic book cluster is a deliberate and very effective red herring, and the purple category will stump most players until they read the words letter by letter rather than as whole units.
16 Connections words and their meanings
Tap any word to see what it means in the April 18, 2026 puzzle.
MARVEL
To look at something with awe and astonishment — also a comic publisher, but that reading is a trap here.
DC
Direct current in electricity — but also the opening letters of a well-known cola brand, which matters in this puzzle.
CRUSHWORTHY
Sounds like someone deserving a crush — but the puzzle only cares that it begins with the name of an orange soda brand.
POWER
The rate at which electrical energy is transferred — a core electricity concept measured in watts.
FANTAGRAPHICS
A real independent comic book publisher — but the puzzle cares that it begins with the name of a fruit-flavoured soda brand.
DARK HORSE
A competitor who wins unexpectedly when nobody gave them a chance — also a comic publisher, which is the trap.
VOLTAGE
The electrical potential difference between two points — measured in volts, it drives current through a circuit.
WONDER
To look at something with awe and curiosity — also makes you think of Wonder Woman, but that is the misdirect.
SLEEPER
A candidate or competitor who was ignored and then wins or succeeds against all expectations.
FRESCADE
Not a common English word on its own — the puzzle uses it because it begins with the name of a citrus soda brand.
STARE
To look fixedly at something, often with surprise or admiration — the most literal of the four awe-gazing words.
LONG SHOT
Something with very little chance of succeeding — an underdog bet or an unlikely winner.
PEPSINOGEN
A real biochemistry term for the inactive precursor to the digestive enzyme pepsin — but the puzzle only cares about its first five letters, which spell a cola brand.
UNDERDOG
The competitor expected to lose who sometimes pulls off a surprise victory.
GOGGLE
To stare with wide eyes, usually in shock or amazement — goggles the eyewear are named after this wide-eyed look.
AC
Alternating current — the type of electricity that flows back and forth and powers most homes.
Traps and misdirects
MARVEL is a major comic book publisher, DC is another, DARK HORSE is a third, and WONDER makes you think of Wonder Woman — grouping all four as comic book publishers or characters feels completely natural. That reading is a trap. These four words belong to at least three different categories, and the puzzle is using your comics knowledge against you. Each word has a meaning that has nothing to do with comics.
POWER and VOLTAGE are textbook electricity terms, AC stands for alternating current, and DC stands for direct current — the four of them look like a complete electricity glossary. That grouping is only partially right. Not all four of these words belong to the electricity category, and assuming they do will cost you a mistake. One of them is doing something else entirely in this puzzle.
CRUSHWORTHY sounds like a social media adjective meaning someone you have a crush on, and PEPSINOGEN is a genuine biochemistry term — a stomach enzyme precursor. Neither of those meanings is what the puzzle cares about. Both words are here because of what their first few letters spell, not what the whole word means.
Connections Hints for April 18, 2026
Each category is independent. Reveal only what you need.
Yellow — Easiest
See hint
Verbs and nouns for gazing in amazement or awe
Think: Think: wide eyes, jaw dropped
See group name
LOOK AT WITH AWE
See words
Reveal word 1
GOGGLEReveal word 2
MARVELReveal word 3
STAREReveal word 4
WONDERGreen — Moderate
See hint
Fundamental concepts taught in any introductory electricity lesson
Think: Think: volts, watts, current types
See group name
BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS
See words
Reveal word 1
ACReveal word 2
DCReveal word 3
POWERReveal word 4
VOLTAGEBlue — Hard
See hint
Phrases for a competitor nobody expected to win
Think: Think: longshot bet, surprise champion
See group name
UNEXPECTED WINNER
See words
Reveal word 1
DARK HORSEReveal word 2
LONG SHOTReveal word 3
SLEEPERReveal word 4
UNDERDOGPurple — Hardest
See hint
Longer words whose first letters spell a fizzy drink brand
Think: Think: read just the start
See group name
STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS
See words
Reveal word 1
CRUSHWORTHYReveal word 2
FANTAGRAPHICSReveal word 3
FRESCADEReveal word 4
PEPSINOGENConnections Answers for April 18, 2026
The Connections Explained
LOOK AT WITH AWE
GOGGLE, MARVEL, STARE, and WONDER all mean to look at something with amazement or awe — each captures a slightly different shade of that wide-eyed, astonished gaze.
- GOGGLE
- To goggle is to stare with wide, bulging eyes — the word itself sounds like the exaggerated look it describes, and protective goggles are named after this wide-eyed expression.
- MARVEL
- To marvel at something is to look at it with wonder and admiration — the comic book publisher borrowed this sense of awe, which is exactly the trap the puzzle sets.
- STARE
- To stare is to look fixedly and intently at something, often because it is surprising or impressive — the most direct and literal word in this group.
- WONDER
- To wonder at something is to regard it with awe and curiosity — Wonder Woman's name trades on this same sense of inspiring amazement, which is the misdirect.
BASIC ELECTRICITY TERMS
AC, DC, POWER, and VOLTAGE are four fundamental terms from basic electricity — the type and direction of current, the force driving it, and the rate at which energy is delivered.
- AC
- Alternating current — electricity that reverses direction many times per second, which is the type that comes out of wall sockets in homes.
- DC
- Direct current — electricity that flows in one constant direction, used in batteries and most electronic devices; also the name of a cola brand, which is the trap.
- POWER
- In electricity, power is the rate at which energy is transferred or used, measured in watts — it is calculated by multiplying voltage by current.
- VOLTAGE
- The electrical potential difference between two points, measured in volts — it is the force that pushes electric current through a circuit.
UNEXPECTED WINNER
DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, SLEEPER, and UNDERDOG all describe a competitor or candidate who was not expected to win but surprises everyone by succeeding or coming close.
- DARK HORSE
- A dark horse is a little-known competitor who unexpectedly wins or performs well — the term comes from horse racing and is also a comic book publisher, which is the deliberate trap.
- LONG SHOT
- A long shot is someone or something with very low odds of winning — if a long shot wins, it is a major upset.
- SLEEPER
- A sleeper is a competitor, film, or product that was overlooked and then quietly succeeds — it wins without anyone having seen it coming.
- UNDERDOG
- The underdog is the competitor expected to lose — the one the crowd roots for precisely because nobody thinks they can win.
STARTING WITH SODA BRANDS
CRUSHWORTHY, FANTAGRAPHICS, FRESCADE, and PEPSINOGEN each begin with the name of a well-known soda brand — CRUSH, FANTA, FRESCA, and PEPSI — hidden inside longer words.
- CRUSHWORTHY
- Begins with CRUSH — the fruit-flavoured soda brand — followed by WORTHY, making a word that sounds like social media slang for someone deserving a crush.
- FANTAGRAPHICS
- Begins with FANTA — the fruit-flavoured soda brand — followed by GRAPHICS; Fantagraphics is also a real independent comics publisher, which layers the misdirect on top of the comics trap.
- FRESCADE
- Begins with FRESCA — the citrus soda brand — with the final A absorbed into the suffix -ADE; FRESCADE is not a common standalone English word, which makes it the hardest to parse in this group.
- PEPSINOGEN
- Begins with PEPSI — the cola brand — followed by NOGEN; pepsinogen is a real biochemistry term for the inactive stomach enzyme that becomes pepsin, but the puzzle only cares about those first five letters.
