NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle challenging players to group 16 words into four themed sets.
The puzzle presents players with randomly organized words, and they need to arrange them into groups.
Today's themes will transport players to various sectors of daily life, ranging from vegetable names to hockey terms, to take note of things.
Is the second NYT Connections puzzle of the year giving you a hard time? The holiday vibes are still in the air, and there’s no better way to heighten your excitement than solving some NYT puzzles that challenge your curiosity and vocabulary. With sixteen apparently unrelated words, the NYT Connections puzzle initially confuses players, but soon they will realize that particular words share a similar meaning. The objective is to arrange them properly in four categories to solve the puzzle.
If you are struggling with today’s NYT Connections, you have to think of words that you often use when you talk about noting something, some hockey terms, and vegetable names with a missing letter. Finding the correct four words to make each set may require some help, so here’s the detailed guide to dive into NYT Connections answers and hints for today.
NYT experts rate the Connections puzzles out of 5 to hint at the difficulty level. Today’s one is rated 2.3 out of 5. Players’ personal ratings may differ, but today’s themes, according to the experts, seem easy to solve. Still, those who are struggling to figure it out, here are the hints to make the process easier. Let's start with the hints category-wise:
Easiest Group (Yellow): Today’s yellow group words are connected to words that are related to writing something on an immediate basis.
Moderate Group (Green): This group will contain words that are associated with hockey.
Challenging Group (Blue): This group will have four words related to meet a set level.
Most Difficult Group (Purple): This is the final category; these words are associated with vegetable names but have a missing letter.
Also Read: Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Answers for January 1, 2026 (Puzzle #669)
With the above hints, solvers must have reached near the themes of today’s Connections, but, if there are the words to form them, below are the solutions to check out:
Yellow Category (WRITE): JOT, LOG, NOTE, RECORD
Green Category (SHTICK): BIT, GAG, NUMBER, ROUTINE
Blue Category (BENCHMARK): BAR, EXAMPLE, METRIC, STANDARD
Purple Category (VEGETABLES MINUS STARTING LETTER): ALE, EEK, HIVE, QUASH
For further clarity, check out the image below:
These are the four categories for today’s puzzle, and hopefully, most players have guessed the word sets without the answer. So, congratulations to all who have solved it!
Unlike traditional crosswords or word searches, NYT Connections asks players to identify subtle connections between the given words and form four groups of four. Connections presents a grid of 16 words, and the objective is to group them into four sets of four words each.
The twist is that each set must be formed while adhering to a specific theme. To solve this puzzle, players must be aware of the connection between particular words.
NYT Connections is tricky. That’s the most attractive part of this puzzle as well. This puzzle appeals to those who love challenges. Unlike other puzzles, this one offers four different themes every day, making it both complicated and exciting. These themes never get repeated. Therefore, the solutions require a solid vocabulary to identify connections between words.
Also Read:Today's NYT Wordle Hints and Answer for January 1, 2026 (Puzzle #1657)