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Today’s NYT Connections puzzle blends familiar words with slang, technology, and scientific references.
The categories move from straightforward associations to layered, abstract ideas, increasing the challenge.
With limited guesses available, success depends on sharp elimination, contextual clues, and lateral thinking.
The January 15 NYT Connections puzzle offers a tricky test built on interpretation rather than rare words. It starts simply, then introduces smart misdirection that challenges instinctive grouping. Success comes from patience, rethinking obvious patterns, and using elimination. Each solved set brings clarity, making progress feel earned rather than accidental.
Each daily Connections challenge presents 16 seemingly unrelated words. The goal is to organise them into four groups of four, with each group sharing a single, specific connection.
Important rules:
There is only one correct arrangement
Players are allowed four incorrect attempts
Correct groups lock in and are colour-coded by difficulty
Difficulty tiers follow this structure:
Yellow: Easiest
Blue: Moderate
Green: Hard
Purple: Most difficult
NYT Connections Puzzle Solution for January 15
YELLOW GROUP
Gardening Tools: HOSE, RAKE, SHOVEL, SPADE
GREEN GROUP
Unmoving: FROZEN, STATIC, STATIONARY, STILL
BLUE GROUP
Things That Come in Flakes: CEREAL, DANDRUFF, SALT, SNOW
PURPLE GROUP
Words Formed By Two Men’s Names: JACKAL, LEVITATE, MELTED, PATRON
The puzzle’s theme rewards lateral thinking over surface meaning. Common tools ground the grid before abstract ideas take over. ‘Unmoving’ tests nuance, not vocabulary size. The flakes category blends the everyday with the unexpected, forcing players to rethink assumptions.
The final group delivers the twist, hidden wordplay built from men’s names, not definitions. Together, the set moves from literal to conceptual, then to linguistic cleverness, making the solve feel earned rather than guessed.
