Have you ever felt the thrill of solving a complex puzzle, or the frustration when a solution remains just out of reach? The New York Times Connections game offers a daily dose of this mental workout, challenging your vocabulary and lateral thinking. If you're grappling with today's NYT Connections hints for Monday, January 26, 2026, you've come to the right place. We'll guide you through strategic clues, offer expert tips, and ultimately reveal the solutions to all four categories, helping you sharpen your cognitive skills along the way.
Decoding Today's NYT Connections Puzzle
Connections, a captivating word-grouping game, tests your ability to spot hidden relationships between seemingly disparate words. Each daily puzzle presents 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four, each with a unique theme. The challenge lies in identifying these subtle connections and avoiding the many red herrings intentionally placed by the puzzle masters. Engaging with daily puzzles like Connections can significantly boost cognitive functions, including memory, problem-solving, and pattern recognition (Harvard Medical School, 2023).
For January 26, 2026, puzzle #960, the board features an intriguing mix of words. Before we dive into specifics, let's look at the general category types to set your mind in motion without giving too much away:
- Yellow category: Focuses on similar actions or verbs.
- Green category: Also revolves around similar verbs, but with a distinct nuance.
- Blue category: Taps into the realm of popular culture.
- Purple category: Involves clever wordplay, often requiring a bit of linguistic gymnastics.
To further refine your search for today's NYT Connections hints, here are some conceptual hints for the groupings:
- Yellow category: Think about what someone might do to take advantage of another person or situation.
- Green category: Consider actions associated with intimidating or bothering someone.
- Blue category: These individuals are celebrated for their performances in cinema.
- Purple category: Look for familiar creatures, but with a subtle alteration to their names.
Unveiling the Categories: Hints and Strategies
Navigating the Connections board requires a keen eye for detail and an open mind. Often, words can appear to fit into multiple categories, a classic misdirection technique designed to challenge even seasoned players. For instance, a word like "JAM" could refer to a fruit spread, a traffic situation, or a musical improvisation, demanding careful consideration of context (University of Pennsylvania, 2024).
Let's consider some of the trickier words from today's puzzle, without giving away their final groupings:
- BUFFALO and COW: While typically associated with animals, these words can also function as verbs describing the act of intimidating or bothering someone. Recognizing this dual nature is key.
- WEAVER: Beyond its literal meaning of someone who weaves, consider its potential as a surname, especially in popular culture.
- FLEECE: This word can refer to a type of fabric, but it also has a strong verbal connotation related to exploitation or swindling.
When you're searching for today's NYT Connections hints, remember that the puzzle often plays on homonyms, synonyms, and less common definitions. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and explore every possible meaning a word might hold.
The Full Solution: January 26, 2026 (Puzzle #960)
BEWARE: Spoilers for NYT Connections #960 follow! Scroll slowly if you wish to take only the hints you need.
Ready to uncover the answers? Here are the themes and words for each category in today's demanding Connections puzzle.
Yellow Category: EXPLOIT
Often considered the most straightforward, this group features verbs related to taking unfair advantage of someone or something. The words are: DRAIN, FLEECE, MILK, SQUEEZE.
Green Category: DAUNT
The second-easiest, this category comprises verbs that mean to intimidate or discourage. The words are: BUFFALO, COW, RATTLE, RUFFLE.
Blue Category: ICONIC ACTRESSES
This group, typically the second-hardest, requires knowledge of pop culture. The words are the last names of famous actresses: CLOSE (Glenn Close), FIELD (Sally Field), FOSTER (Jodie Foster), WEAVER (Sigourney Weaver).
Purple Category: MAMMALS MINUS LAST LETTER
The most challenging category, this one involves clever wordplay. Each word is a mammal's name with its final letter removed: BADGE (Badger), GOA (Goat), MOOS (Moose), RABBI (Rabbit).
A Solved Example: My Approach to Today's Puzzle
Even for experienced players, today's Connections puzzle presented a unique challenge. My strategy often begins by identifying words that seem to have a strong, undeniable connection. For this puzzle, the purple category surprisingly clicked first. Seeing RABBI, GOA, MOOS, and BADGE together immediately triggered the "animal with a letter missing" idea (rabbit, goat, moose, badger). This kind of lateral thinking, where a word's form is as important as its meaning, is a hallmark of advanced puzzle-solving (Psychology Today, 2023). Unlocking this group first provided a solid foundation.
Next, I focused on verbs that implied extraction or exploitation. SQUEEZE, DRAIN, FLEECE, and MILK seemed to fit perfectly as ways to cunningly get something from someone. This formed the yellow category, which often involves the most direct synonyms. It's crucial to confirm that all four words in your chosen group share only that connection, and no other obvious overlaps, before submitting.
With those two groups identified, my attention turned to the remaining words. The verbal connotations of BUFFALO and COW (to intimidate) were familiar, and they paired well with RATTLE and RUFFLE (to disturb or bother someone, as in "rattle one's cage" or "ruffle one's feathers"). This green category of "DAUNT" emerged, highlighting how words can have multiple meanings that are central to Connections' trickiness.
Finally, the remaining words were CLOSE, FIELD, FOSTER, and WEAVER. Initially, I found no immediate commonality. However, recalling that Connections often features pop culture, and knowing that WEAVER was a common actress surname, I began to consider other last names. Glenn CLOSE, Sally FIELD, and Jodie FOSTER quickly solidified the "ICONIC ACTRESSES" theme for the blue category. This process demonstrates the value of recognizing categories that rely on general knowledge rather than just direct word associations.
Connections
Puzzle #960
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Mastering Connections: Rules and Winning Strategies
For those new to the game, or simply needing a refresher, understanding the core mechanics of Connections is essential. Available on the New York Times website or their Games app, the puzzle presents a 4x4 grid of 16 words. Your objective is to select four words that share a common thread and submit them as a group. Correct guesses reveal the category theme and its color, with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. You win by correctly identifying all four groups, but beware: four incorrect submissions will end your game.
Winning Connections consistently involves more than just a good vocabulary; it demands strategic thinking. Here are some advanced tips:
- Beware of Overlaps: The most common trap is words that seem to fit into multiple groups. For example, "CRAB" could be an animal, a zodiac sign, or a type of apple. Always verify your chosen four words are exclusively linked by your identified theme.
- Focus on Outliers: Sometimes, words that seem completely out of place can be the key. If a word doesn't easily fit any obvious group, consider less common definitions or wordplay associations. This can often lead you to the trickier purple categories.
- Consider Parts of Speech: Is "BUFFALO" a noun or a verb in this context? Pay attention to how words can function differently.
- Practice Daily: Like any skill, mastery comes with practice. The more you engage with the puzzle, the better you'll become at recognizing patterns and anticipating the puzzle editor's clever misdirections.
For a fresh perspective or when you're truly stumped, checking "today's NYT Connections hints" can be a valuable part of your daily routine. It's not about cheating, but about learning new word associations and improving your cognitive flexibility. Keep coming back to Routinova for your daily dose of insights and solutions!
