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The yellow and green sets were fairly intuitive, giving players a comfortable entry point into the day’s challenge.
Blue demanded a bit more patience, relying on visual associations that weren’t immediately obvious.
Purple proved to be the toughest nut to crack, cleverly masking European capitals through shortened forms that caught many off guard.
NYT Connections is one of those puzzles that feels just right for a slow Sunday. Created by The New York Times, it hands you 16 words that seem completely random at first and asks you to group them into four sets of four, each tied together by a common theme.
What really hooks players is how the game plays with your instincts.
A word might look like it belongs in more than one group, making you pause, rethink, and sometimes second-guess yourself. With only four chances to get it wrong, every tap counts.
Along the way, Connections quietly builds your vocabulary, sharpens your ability to spot patterns, and rewards you with that deeply satisfying “aha!” moment when everything finally clicks.
The Connections categories for the day proved quite intriguing, with the first two categories being relatively straightforward to decipher, while the remaining two led the player down an unexpected and challenging path.
The yellow category, in particular, would likely have been quickly identified by most players. For those seeking additional guidance, the NYT Connections categories for Feb 1, 2026, are available for reference.
Yellow: PIBLICIZE
Green: KINDS OF SHOES
Blue: ANTHEM
Purple: MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Do you finally get where each word should go? No? Then, keep scrolling to see the answers for today's NYT Connections.
Also Read: NYT Connections Hints and Answers for January 30, 2026 (Puzzle #964)
The answers for Connections today are:
Publicize: BOOST, HYPE, PITCH, PLUG
Kinds of shoes: CLOG, FLAT, MULE, WEDGE
Anthem: BANGER, BOP, HEATER, JAM
Musical instruments: GLUTE, MORGAN, SHARP, THORN
Connections is a daily puzzle where you have to split 16 words into four groups of four with one common thread. The trick is that words do not always fit into single categories, so always be on the lookout for overlapping connections.
Start by going after the groups that he is the most certain about, generally the yellow one. Do not hesitate to use the shuffle button to see the words afresh.
Listen for wordplay, homophones, or another subtle connection.
If you do see a group of five words that seem to fit, take a step back and reassess, since one of them is a red herring. The purple one is usually the toughest to determine, so leave it for last.
Double Meanings: Try to identify words that fit into two categories - the actual one and a witty decoy.
Homophones: Typically, the puzzle contains words that sound the same. The song-alike words would almost always be hidden in the trickiest categories.
The ‘Five-Word’ Trap: If it seems like there are five words in one category, one of them doesn't belong. Working on the other category first will help you identify it.
Think Like A Creator: Usually, the hardest categories involve puns, abbreviations, or obscure references. Save these till the end.
Today’s Connections puzzle was a classic reminder of why the game is so addictive. It looked simple at first, but the clues were quietly designed to trip you up, pushing you to rethink words you thought you already understood.
The yellow group, Publicize, felt like a gentle warm-up. BOOST, HYPE, PITCH, and PLUG all fit naturally, yet their everyday use in marketing and media made it easy to overthink them. The green category, Kinds of shoes, seemed even more obvious, until you realised how quickly words like CLOG, FLAT, MULE, and WEDGE can send your brain down the wrong path.
The real fun began with the blue category, Anthem. BANGER, BOP, HEATER, and JAM are casual, high-energy words we use all the time, but spotting them as a single group took a moment of clarity.
And then came the purple set, Musical instruments, which served as the final twist. GLUTE, MORGAN, SHARP, and THORN forced you to move past literal meanings and think laterally, exactly the kind of challenge Connections does best.
If you’re still unsure about where each word belongs, don’t worry; you’re not alone. Scroll on to check the full answers for today’s NYT Connections and see how it all comes together.
Also Read: NYT Connections Hints and Answers for January 31, 2026 (Puzzle #965)
