Comedic expressions, NHL team names, Robin Hood characters, and baseball-inspired wordplay define today’s NYT Connections, spot the hidden stars.
January 27’s NYT Connections mixes jokers and cutups with hockey rivals, legendary outlaws, and a tricky baseball-gear purple group.
From clowns and cards to sheriffs and bats, today’s NYT Connections grid balances fun themes with clever misdirection.
The New York Times’ January 27, NYT Connections puzzle is live. The unpredictable themes of the puzzle never disappoint the player base. The grid places 16 words randomly, without any connections to each other. However, four of them must share a common link to form four sets to solve the puzzle. Every day, this word puzzle challenges gamers' knowledge with wordplay, witty themes, and intricate solving processes.
If you are struggling with today’s NYT Connections, the puzzle on January 27 presents words that are closely connected to funny expressions, playing against each other, legendary figures from a tale, and sports-related equipment. 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.
Every day, NYT experts rate Connections puzzles to indicate their level of difficulty. Out of 5 to hint at the difficulty level. Today’s one is rated 2.8 out of 5. Though players’ personal ratings may differ, experts have found today's themes moderately difficult and less challenging. Still, for 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 clowns and jokers.
Moderate Group (Green): This group will contain words associated with hockey players.
Challenging Group (Blue): This group will have four words that can be found in Robin Hood tales.
Most Difficult Group (Purple): This is the final category, and these words are associated with baseball gear.
Also Read: NYT Wordle Answer Today for January 26, 2026: Hints, Strategy & Expert Walkthrough
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 (QUITE THE LAUGH): CARD, CHARACTER, CUTUP, JOKER
Green Category (NHL TEAM MEMBER): DEVIL, FLYER, PENGUIN, RANGER
Blue Category (FIRST WORDS OF ROBIN HOOD CHARACTER NAMES): FRIAR, MAID, ROBIN, SHERIFF
Purple Category (STARTING WITH BASEBALL GEAR): BALLROOM, BASEMENT, BATMOBILE, CAPSTONE
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 these words into four sets of four words.
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 may seem easy, but it is still tricky. The most attractive part of the puzzle involves the unpredictability of the themes. Therefore, NYT Connections appeals to those who love challenges. Unlike others, this puzzle 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 Strands Hints and Answers for January 26, 2026