A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #935
hints & answers for January 1, 2026

Keep the satisfaction of the solve. Get a nudge for one group, reveal a category, or check the answers at your own pace.

This reference always shows January 1, 2026. It is released in at least one timezone; every answer stays closed until you reveal it.

Which group has you stuck?

Pick a colour. Reveal one step at a time.

Yellow group

Straightforward

1/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with C, C, H and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHARM belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BIT OF MAGIC

Reveal all four words
  • CHARM
  • CURSE
  • HEX
  • SPELL

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with P, S, S and S. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

PEEL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

REMOVE THE COVERING FROM

Reveal all four words
  • PEEL
  • SHELL
  • SHUCK
  • SKIN

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with B, H, H and R. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BUFF belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

"ENTHUSIAST" EQUIVALENT

Reveal all four words
  • BUFF
  • HEAD
  • HOUND
  • RAT

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
Wordplay hint

Try putting the same beginning before each entry.

Show one word

FINGERS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BUTTER___

Reveal all four words
  • FINGERS
  • FLY
  • NUT
  • SCOTCH

Each entry comes after "BUTTER" to form a word, expression or name: FINGERS → BUTTER FINGERS; FLY → BUTTER FLY; NUT → BUTTER NUT; SCOTCH → BUTTER SCOTCH.

Show categories only
  • Yellow: BIT OF MAGIC
  • Green: REMOVE THE COVERING FROM
  • Blue: "ENTHUSIAST" EQUIVALENT
  • Purple: BUTTER___

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BIT OF MAGIC

CHARM · CURSE · HEX · SPELL

Green

REMOVE THE COVERING FROM

PEEL · SHELL · SHUCK · SKIN

Blue

"ENTHUSIAST" EQUIVALENT

BUFF · HEAD · HOUND · RAT

Purple

BUTTER___

FINGERS · FLY · NUT · SCOTCH

This puzzle’s recorded solution

The date and puzzle number identify this exact board. Use the individual group controls to compare its recorded categories and words, then return to the archive to find another puzzle.

About the answers and hints

Categories and answers follow the recorded NYT puzzle. Our hints are independent: some are original category clues, while others give the first letters of the four words. Each hint is labelled so you can choose how much help to take.

Group colours follow the puzzle’s yellow, green, blue and purple order, from the most straightforward to the trickiest. Your own experience may differ. The reference tiles may appear in a different order from your game. Picture puzzles have separately hidden descriptions, since a description can give away the wordplay.

The daily page starts with the UTC puzzle date and, with JavaScript enabled, checks the puzzle for your local time zone. Every reveal starts closed when the date changes. Play Connections at The New York Times or contact us about a correction.