NYT Connections Puzzle Stumps Players With Tricky Word Groups

On January 19, 2026, fans of word games across the globe found themselves once again puzzling over the latest installment of the New York Times’ Connections, a daily brain-teaser that has quietly become a staple in the digital routines of many. For those unfamiliar, Connections is a deceptively simple concept: players are presented with a grid of 16 words and must sort them into four groups of four, each group linked by a subtle connection. But as any regular will tell you, the challenge lies in the nuance—and as with Wordle before it, the game’s clever twists and daily surprises have inspired a passionate community and a flurry of social media activity.

Monday’s Connections puzzle—number 953, for those keeping count—delivered a characteristically tricky set of categories, with more than a few players scratching their heads. According to CNET and The Economic Times, the four groups for January 19 were: Inexperienced, Money (represented by a money-faced emoji), Measured by SI units, and Words after "quick." The answers, revealed later in the day, were as follows:

For the "Inexperienced" group (the yellow category, traditionally the easiest), the correct answers were BUDDING, FRESH, NAIVE, and NEW. The "Money" group (green, and marked by the emoji 🤑) included BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT, and WAD. The "Measured by SI units" group (blue, often challenging) comprised CURRENT, LENGTH, MASS, and TIME. Finally, the purple group—always the most abstract—was "Words after 'quick'", featuring FIX, SAND, SILVER, and STUDY. As CNET noted, "The puzzle is described as challenging, with hints provided for each group."

But what is it about Connections that keeps people coming back? The game, created by the New York Times Games team, is free to play on both the NYT website and the NYT Games app. Each day at midnight, a new puzzle appears, and players have just one attempt to solve it. Incorrect guesses count as mistakes, and after four errors, the game is over. The board can be shuffled to help reveal patterns, and—like Wordle—players can share their results using a grid of colored squares, a now-familiar sight on social media feeds.

According to The Economic Times, "While multiple groupings may seem possible, only one correct combination completes the puzzle." This single-solution design is part of what makes Connections so tantalizing—and occasionally infuriating. The game’s color-coded categories provide a gentle nudge: yellow is usually the most straightforward, green a bit trickier, blue often technical or cultural, and purple reserved for the most abstract or wordplay-heavy connections. As one CNET writer put it, "The yellow group is usually the easiest to deduce, followed by blue, green and purple. Often, the yellow and green groups have synonyms, the blues have cultural references and the purples have some kind of wordplay involved. But this is not a hard and fast rule. Be ready for curveballs – part of the fun of Connections is in how the NYT shakes things up to keep you on your toes."

For puzzle #953, the clues reflected this spectrum of difficulty. Hints circulated online before the full answers were published, offering cryptic nudges: "Novice" for yellow, "A lump sum" for green, "Share the same measurement prefix" for blue, and "Begin with a speedy word" for purple, as reported by Tech Radar and Mashable. For those who wanted to play along without spoilers, these hints provided just enough guidance to spark a breakthrough without giving the game away.

Once the answers were revealed, players could see the logic behind the groupings. The "Inexperienced" set—BUDDING, FRESH, NAIVE, NEW—was perhaps the most accessible. The "Money" group—BUNDLE, FORTUNE, MINT, WAD—required thinking beyond literal currency to include slang and idioms. The "Measured by SI units" group—CURRENT, LENGTH, MASS, TIME—demanded a bit of scientific knowledge, referencing the International System of Units (SI) used in physics and engineering. Finally, the "Words after 'quick'" group—FIX, SAND, SILVER, STUDY—played with common English phrases: quick fix, quicksand, quicksilver, and quick study.

It’s this blend of vocabulary, logic, and cultural literacy that has made Connections a hit. As The Economic Times explained, "Connections continues to challenge players with clever word groupings that test logic, vocabulary, and pattern recognition. Today’s grid once again presents 16 seemingly ordinary words, hiding four distinct themes. Some links are easy to spot, while others demand a closer look."

The game’s rise mirrors that of Wordle, another New York Times acquisition that became a cultural phenomenon in 2022. Both games encourage daily engagement, sharing, and a sense of community among players. According to CNET, the Times has even introduced a "Connections Bot," similar to the Wordle Bot, allowing registered players to analyze their answers, track win streaks, and compare their performance over time. This data-driven approach appeals to the competitive and the curious alike, giving players another reason to return each day.

For those who crave a bit more camaraderie, online communities have sprung up around Connections. Discord servers, blogs, and social media groups buzz with discussions of the day’s puzzle, strategies for spotting connections, and the occasional friendly debate over whether a particular grouping was fair. As one blogger shared, "It’s a lovely, welcoming group of folks. I like to call it our cozy little corner of the internet. You’re more than welcome to join us. Don’t be shy!"

Of course, not every puzzle is a crowd-pleaser. Some days, the categories are straightforward; other days, the connections are so abstract that even seasoned players are left stumped. As CNET observed, "Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is super hard, I thought. I didn’t even know what the blue group theme was, and the green one used an emoji for its title, which is odd." This unpredictability is part of the game’s charm—and its challenge.

For those looking to improve, advice abounds: shuffle the board to see new patterns, look for synonyms and idioms, and don’t be afraid to take a break and return with fresh eyes. And, as with any good puzzle, sometimes it’s just a matter of luck—or a flash of insight at just the right moment.

With its blend of logic, language, and a dash of luck, Connections has carved out its own niche in the crowded world of online games. And as long as the New York Times keeps delivering clever, challenging puzzles, it’s a safe bet that players will keep coming back—one connection at a time.