NYT Connections Hints and Answers for January 1, 2026, #936

Happy Thursday, puzzlers! Did you manage to untangle yesterday's colorful conundrum? Speaking of colors, today's weather is as gray as a particularly challenging crossword clue—24 degrees and overcast, with a chill that could freeze your thoughts mid-syllable.

Yesterday, as I sipped my morning coffee and pondered the yellow, green, blue, and purple hues of the grid, a flash of inspiration struck. It felt like finding the perfect word to complete a tricky crossword entry—satisfying, yet fleeting. If only solving a puzzle were as easy as remembering where I left my keys!

As you dive into today's Connections challenge, remember to scan for loose synonyms and keep an eye out for cross-category decoys. It's all about making those elusive connections, like finding the missing puzzle piece that brings the whole picture together. So, are you ready to crack the code and revel in the sweet satisfaction of a solved puzzle? Let's do this! Feel free to drop hints or jump in and join the fun.

How to Play NYT Connections

Overview

Connections is a daily word puzzle game from The New York Times. The goal is to find groups of four words that share something in common. You’re presented with 16 words arranged in a 4×4 grid, and you must identify four groups of four related words.

Basic Rules

• You have 16 words total, arranged in a 4×4 grid
• There are exactly 4 groups of 4 related words each
• Each word belongs to exactly one group
• You must find all four groups to complete the puzzle
• You have 4 mistakes allowed before the game ends

How to Play

• Look at all 16 words and try to identify patterns or connections
• Select 4 words you think belong together by clicking/tapping them
• Click “Submit” to check if your group is correct
• If correct, those 4 words will be removed and grouped together
• If incorrect, you lose one of your 4 allowed mistakes
• Continue until you find all 4 groups or run out of mistakes

Difficulty Levels

The four groups are color-coded by difficulty:

• 🟨 YELLOW: Easiest – usually straightforward categories
• 🟩 GREEN: Easy-Medium – slightly more complex connections
• 🟦 BLUE: Medium-Hard – trickier associations or wordplay
• 🟪 PURPLE: Hardest – often involves puns, multiple meanings, or very subtle connections

Strategy Tips

• Start with the most obvious connections first
• Be careful of red herrings – words that seem to fit multiple categories
• If you’re unsure, try to eliminate what doesn’t belong first
• The purple group often involves wordplay, homophones, or very creative connections
• Don’t guess randomly – you only have 4 mistakes

Scoring

• Complete the puzzle to see your results
• Mistakes are tracked but don’t affect your final score
• Share your results with friends using the share button
• Results show how many mistakes you made for each group