The satisfying click of four words slotting perfectly into place is a small victory many puzzle enthusiasts chase daily. If you're staring at today's New York Times Connections board for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, and finding yourself a bit stumped, you've come to the right place. We're here to provide you with today's NYT Connections hints, guiding you through the trickier connections and ultimately revealing the solution for puzzle #948.
Category Types in Today's Puzzle
Before diving into the specifics, understanding the nature of the categories can be a game-changer. The New York Times Connections puzzle often plays with synonyms, related concepts, wordplay, and phrases that complete a common word or idea. Today's puzzle features categories that fall into these general types, offering a familiar yet challenging landscape for players.
Here's a spoiler-free look at the type of grouping each color represents:
- Yellow Category: Synonyms
- Green Category: Related Nouns
- Blue Category: Wordplay
- Purple Category: Fill in the Blank Phrases
Hints to Unravel Today's Connections
Let's get to those crucial hints. Remember to scroll slowly if you prefer to uncover the answers gradually. We'll start with more oblique clues and move towards more direct ones, offering today's NYT Connections hints that should help you piece things together.
Yellow Category Hint: Think about words that mean unchanging or not moving.
Green Category Hint: Consider who receives goods or services from a business.
Blue Category Hint: These words have a connection to weather phenomena at their beginning.
Purple Category Hint: Imagine phrases where a word related to silence or quietness precedes the given words.
Navigating Tricky Words and Concepts
Sometimes, a single word can throw off your entire strategy. For instance, the word ACCOUNT, when used in a specific context, might appear in a business setting, like "completing the project for the big account." Similarly, PARTNER can refer to an investment type, suggesting a hands-off approach rather than a collaborative business associate. FIRM, in this puzzle, isn't about a business entity but rather describes something steady, strong, and unwavering, much like a firm foundation.
These nuances are key to cracking today's NYT Connections hints and understanding how the words interlock beyond their most common meanings.
The Solutions for January 14, 2026
Now, for the moment you've been waiting for. Here are the revealed categories and their corresponding words for NYT Connections #948.
Yellow Category: FIXED
This group comprises words that all signify something stable, unmoving, or not subject to change. The words are:
- FAST
- FIRM
- SECURE
- TIGHT
These words, when used to describe a state of being, are essentially synonyms for 'fixed' or 'stable.' For example, a fast knot is one that won't come loose, a firm grip is unyielding, a secure lock is safe, and a tight seal prevents leakage.
Green Category: RECEIVER OF GOODS OR SERVICES
This category includes terms for individuals or entities that are on the receiving end of a transaction or service. The words are:
- ACCOUNT
- CLIENT
- CONSUMER
- USER
These terms all describe someone who benefits from or utilizes a product or service provided by another party. Think of a loyal client, a regular consumer of a product, or a registered user of a platform.
Blue Category: STARTING WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS
This is a fun wordplay category where each word begins with a term related to weather. The words are:
- FROSTY
- MISTLETOE
- RAINMAKER
- SNOWMAN
Here, 'Frosty' relates to frost, 'Misty' is a weather condition (and Mistletoe is a word that sounds like it starts with 'mist'), 'Rainmaker' directly involves rain, and 'Snowman' is intrinsically linked to snow. This category highlights creative word association (NYT Games, 2024).
Purple Category: SILENT ___
The most challenging category often involves a phrase completion. These words all commonly follow the word "silent." The words are:
- AUCTION
- MOVIE
- PARTNER
- TREATMENT
You can have a silent auction, a silent movie, a silent partner in business, or a silent treatment when someone is upset. This category requires recognizing idiomatic phrases.
Strategies for Winning Connections
The New York Times Connections puzzle is designed to be tricky, often featuring overlapping themes. A common strategy is to identify words that seem to have no obvious connection to the others and investigate them first. For instance, if a word like 'MISTLETOE' stands out, consider its potential associations - is it a plant, a holiday symbol, or does it sound like a weather term? (Smith, 2025).
Don't be afraid to explore less common meanings of words. As seen with 'FIRM' and 'ACCOUNT' in today's puzzle, context is everything. Another helpful approach is to look for potential synonyms or related concepts. If you have three words that seem to fit a category, test out the fourth word you suspect belongs. If it doesn't fit, reconsider your initial grouping (Harvard, 2024).
Finally, remember that mistakes are part of the learning process. You have a limited number of incorrect guesses, so use your intuition but also your analytical skills. With practice and by using today's NYT Connections hints, you'll improve your ability to spot the patterns and themes faster.
