Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
The purple category in the NYT Connections puzzle is infamous for being difficult, and sometimes pretty wacky. Today is no exception. But here’s a tip: When you’re stuck, look at the words you have remaining and think about what other words they can pair with. If you can find one word that pairs with them all, whether it comes before the clue words or after, you’ve likely nailed that purple category. Read on for today’s Connections hints and answers.
The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. And players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest, yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Work.
Green group hint: Home accessory.
Blue group hint: Think 007.
Purple group hint: Not a mouse, but…
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Buying and selling.
Green group: Installed on a wall.
Blue group: Spy.
Purple group: ____ rat.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The completed NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 16, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is buying and selling. The four answers are business, commerce, market and trade.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is installed on a wall. The four answers are baseboard, outlet, sconce and switch.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is spy. The four answers are agent, asset, mole and plant.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ____ rat. The four answers are gym, mall, pack and rug.
Toughest Connections puzzles
We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.
#5: Included “things you can set,” such as mood, record, table and volleyball.
#4: Included “one in a dozen,” such as egg, juror, month and rose.
#3: Included “streets on screen,” such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.
#2: Included “power ___” such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.
#1: Included “things that can run,” such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.