The New York Times’ daily Connections puzzle (#954) continues to challenge players with its word associations. This guide provides hints and solutions for the January 20th game, covering all four categories: Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple. The puzzle’s difficulty varies, with the purple category consistently posing the greatest challenge.
Decoding Today’s Categories
The Connections game requires players to group four words based on a common theme. The Times now provides a scoring bot for registered players, tracking performance metrics like win rate and perfect scores. This encourages competitive engagement and strategic thinking.
Hints for Each Group
Here’s a breakdown of hints, progressing from easiest to hardest:
- Yellow: These words describe how things come together.
- Green: These flying insects are known for their buzzing.
- Blue: These structures span bodies of water.
- Purple: The link between these words lies in synonyms for a strong desire.
Complete Answers Revealed
Here are the correct groupings for today’s Connections puzzle:
- Yellow Group: Intertwine. The words are lace, twist, weave, and wind. These all refer to methods of bringing strands together.
- Green Group: Kinds of Bees. The answers are bumble, carpenter, honey, and killer. These represent different species within the bee family.
- Blue Group: Famous Bridges. The correct words are Brooklyn, Golden Gate, Rialto, and Tower. All of these are iconic bridges from around the world.
- Purple Group: Synonyms for “Hanker For”. The solution involves recognizing words that begin with related meanings of craving. The answers are Craven (crave), Desiree (desire), needle (need), and wanton (want).
Trends in Puzzle Difficulty
The Connections puzzle’s difficulty is sometimes unpredictable. Some of the toughest puzzles to date have included:
- Puzzle #5: “Things You Can Set” (mood, record, table, volleyball)
- Puzzle #4: “One in a Dozen” (egg, juror, month, rose)
- Puzzle #3: “Streets on Screen” (Elm, Fear, Jump, Sesame)
- Puzzle #2: “Power ___” (nap, plant, Ranger, trip)
- Puzzle #1: “Things That Can Run” (candidate, faucet, mascara, nose)
These past puzzles demonstrate that the game sometimes uses obscure or unexpected themes. The purple group often relies on knowledge of synonyms or etymology, making it the most challenging.
The Connections puzzle continues to evolve in difficulty, requiring players to adapt their strategies. Recognizing patterns and thinking laterally are key to success.
