

Feel a chill or shiver, bend a few small rules, spot everyday tools, and uncover sweets hiding in plain sight in NYT Connections Jan 8.
January 8’s NYT Connections links physical reactions, minor missteps, common machines, and words that secretly start with sweet treats.
From goosebumps to jaywalking, simple levers to hidden candy names, NYT Connections Jan 8 rewards sharp eyes and quick associations.
The NYT Connections puzzle for January 8, 2026 contains a balanced mixture of proper categories and clever twists. The New York Times has presented a range of categories including responses to strong feelings, breaking small rules, simple and common machines, and chocolate bars.
The puzzle may seem easier to many solvers, but it still offers fun misdirections. The difficulty lies somewhere in the moderate range. To be precise, today's puzzle rewards those with keen observation and rapid association skills.
NYT Connections is a daily word game from The New York Times. The puzzle displays 16 words. The object is to sort them into four groups of four, each with a hidden connection. These connections can be straightforward, such as foods or places, or more complex, such as phrases or wordplay.
Players have only four chances to make mistakes. Once the wrong guesses run out, the puzzle ends. Colors mark the groups: yellow is the easiest, followed by green or blue, and purple tends to be the hardest.
If you’re confused about the solutions of NYT Connection January 8, 2026, let’s first check out the words:
AEROPLANE, DOVETAIL, CHILL, HEATHERS, MARSALA, JAYWALK, LITTER, LOITER, SPEED, GOOSEBUMP, SHIVER, SCISSORS, SEESAW, TINGLE, CLOTHESPIN, CROWBAR
Hints Section (By Color Group)
Looking at the words revealing nothing of the categories? Check out the below hints:
Yellow Group: Think of words that we generally use for responding to strong emotions.
Blue Group: Think of words that are used to indicate breaking of small rules and regulations.
Green Group: Think of terms that are extremely common and refer to daily used items to cut things or lift them up.
Purple Group: Think of the words that have sweet words hidden in the beginning.
Also Read: Today's NYT Wordle Hints and Answer for January 7, 2026 (Wordle #1663)
If you have solved the puzzle from the above-mentioned clues, congratulations to you! However, if there are still confusion about the categories, below is the complete solution of the puzzle:
Yellow Group (BIT OF A RESPONSE TO STRONG EMOTIONS): CHILL, GOOSEBUMP, SHIVER, TINGLE
Blue Group (BREAK THE RULES): JAYWALK, LITTER, LOITER, SPEED
Green Group (FIRST-CLASS LEVERS): CLOTHESPIN, CROWBAR, SCISSORS, SEESAW
Purple Group (STARTING WITH CANDY BARS): AEROPLANE, DOVETAIL, HEATHERS, MARSALA
The NYT Connections puzzle for January 8, 2026, strikes a working balance between straightforward wins and a little bit of wordplay. Many people will come out easily with the Yellow group of words that contain the terms to motivate others.
However, as they progress toward the other categories, the puzzle will become tricky to understand and decode. In all, the puzzle is fun to solve, clever, and rewarding. It is one more example that has gotten solvers hooked and served as a reminder that the NYT Connections remains the favorite everyday game: simple rules, enjoyable themes, and an eventual feeling of discovery.