NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Friday, January 9, 2026 (#943)

Puzzle #943. Start with a gentle nudge and work down — the full answers are at the bottom, hidden until you ask for them.

Just tell me the answer

The NYT Connections answer for Friday, January 9, 2026 (puzzle #943) is: YELLOW — THINGS THAT ARE RED: 3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP. GREEN — USED IN METAPHORS FOR PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS: 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE. BLUE — MUSICAL ARTISTS MINUS STARTING NUMBERS: 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES. PURPLE — CARDINAL DIRECTIONS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED: COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST.

Today's 16 words

The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Friday, January 9, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.

FORTH
LEST
CARDINAL
DIRECTION
8 BALL
SOLO CUP
NON BLONDES
OAST
3 BALL
THIN ICE
HEART EMOJI
CHAINZ
6 MAFIA
DEEP END
COUTH
LIMB

How hard is Connections #943?

Easy35/100
  • At least one entry is a phrase rather than a single word.

Where to start: Every category here is meaning-based, so group by topic first and use the four-per-group constraint to settle any word that could go two ways.

Connections hints for Friday, January 9, 2026

Four levels, each giving away a little more. Open only as many as you need.

NYT Connections answers for Friday, January 9, 2026

Keep playing

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Common questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for Friday, January 9, 2026?

The NYT Connections answer for Friday, January 9, 2026 (puzzle #943) is: YELLOW — THINGS THAT ARE RED: 3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP. GREEN — USED IN METAPHORS FOR PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS: 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE. BLUE — MUSICAL ARTISTS MINUS STARTING NUMBERS: 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES. PURPLE — CARDINAL DIRECTIONS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED: COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST.

What is the purple group in Connections #943?

The purple (hardest) group is "CARDINAL DIRECTIONS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED": COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST.

What is the easiest group in today's Connections puzzle?

The yellow group is the most straightforward: "THINGS THAT ARE RED" — 3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.

What number is today's Connections puzzle?

Friday, January 9, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #943. Connections launched on 12 June 2023 with puzzle #1, and a new puzzle is published every day.

What time does a new NYT Connections puzzle come out?

A new Connections puzzle unlocks at midnight in your own local time zone, so the changeover happens at a different moment around the world. The puzzle itself is the same for everyone on a given date.