NYT Connections Answers: Your Daily Guide to Solving Today’s Puzzle

The Growing Popularity of NYT Connections

Connections first launched on the New York Times in June 2023, and has quickly become one of the most addictive word puzzles available online. The New York Times’ Connections game is one of the trickiest daily puzzles, where the goal is to divide a block of 16 words into four common themes. As players seek daily challenges beyond Wordle, Connections has carved out its own dedicated following among puzzle enthusiasts worldwide.

Understanding How Connections Works

On your grid, you’ll start with sixteen words that you have to place into four groups by looking for four words with a common thread, then click to select each word and press submit. Each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult. If you make a mistake when you submit, that’s okay—you get four guesses before the game is over and the answers are revealed.

Today’s Puzzle Solutions and Daily Updates

Players searching for NYT Connections answers have numerous resources available. Multiple websites update daily with the Connections answers to help solve the four-by-four daily grid. The NYT Connections daily puzzle is refreshed at midnight local time, ensuring fresh challenges every day. Today’s puzzle is #950 for Friday, January 16, 2026, with puzzle #951 available for Saturday, January 17.

The Sports Edition Expansion

The New York Times has expanded the Connections universe with a specialized version. Connections Sports Edition is a partnership between The New York Times and The Athletic, where you group sports terms that share a common thread. This game updates every day at midnight Eastern Time, displaying 16 words that must be categorized into four groups of four, providing sports fans with targeted challenges.

Why Players Rely on Answer Guides

Some days are fiendishly difficult, so thinking beyond what a word means literally and seeing subtle patterns can improve your luck with Connections drastically. The current version of NYT Connections is edited by crossword constructor Wyna Liu who has been editing puzzles at The Times since 2020. Many players turn to hint websites not to cheat, but to maintain their daily streaks and learn puzzle-solving strategies that enhance their skills over time, making the daily ritual both challenging and rewarding.