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NYT Connections Hints & Answers — Thursday, January 22, 2026 (#956)

Puzzle #956. 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 Thursday, January 22, 2026 (puzzle #956) is: YELLOW — WELL-DEFINED, AS AN IMAGE: CLEAR, CRISP, DISTINCT, SHARP. GREEN — FRUIT DESSERTS: COBBLER, CRUMBLE, STRUDEL, TURNOVER. BLUE — BUNGLE: FLUFF, FUMBLE, MISS, TRIP. PURPLE — MAGAZINES PLUS A LETTER: ELLEN, SPINY, TIMER, USE.

Today's 16 words

The grid exactly as NYT laid it out for Thursday, January 22, 2026. Nothing below this point is spoiled until you open it.

TIMER
FUMBLE
SPINY
SHARP
TURNOVER
ELLEN
CRISP
MISS
USE
CLEAR
COBBLER
TRIP
CRUMBLE
FLUFF
DISTINCT
STRUDEL

How hard is Connections #956?

Medium42/100
  • • One category runs on wordplay rather than meaning.

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 Thursday, January 22, 2026

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

NYT Connections answers for Thursday, January 22, 2026

Keep playing

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Common questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for Thursday, January 22, 2026?

The NYT Connections answer for Thursday, January 22, 2026 (puzzle #956) is: YELLOW — WELL-DEFINED, AS AN IMAGE: CLEAR, CRISP, DISTINCT, SHARP. GREEN — FRUIT DESSERTS: COBBLER, CRUMBLE, STRUDEL, TURNOVER. BLUE — BUNGLE: FLUFF, FUMBLE, MISS, TRIP. PURPLE — MAGAZINES PLUS A LETTER: ELLEN, SPINY, TIMER, USE.

What is the purple group in Connections #956?

The purple (hardest) group is "MAGAZINES PLUS A LETTER": ELLEN, SPINY, TIMER, USE.

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

The yellow group is the most straightforward: "WELL-DEFINED, AS AN IMAGE" — CLEAR, CRISP, DISTINCT, SHARP. Solving it first removes four words from the grid.

What number is today's Connections puzzle?

Thursday, January 22, 2026 is NYT Connections puzzle #956. 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.