A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #942
hints & answers for January 8, 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 8, 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, G, S and T. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

CHILL belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BIT OF A RESPONSE TO STRONG EMOTIONS

Reveal all four words
  • CHILL
  • GOOSEBUMP
  • SHIVER
  • TINGLE

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

JAYWALK belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BREAK THE RULES

Reveal all four words
  • JAYWALK
  • LITTER
  • LOITER
  • SPEED

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CLOTHESPIN belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FIRST-CLASS LEVERS

Reveal all four words
  • CLOTHESPIN
  • CROWBAR
  • SCISSORS
  • SEESAW

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

Look for four entries beginning with A, D, H and M. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

AEROPLANE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

STARTING WITH CANDY BARS

Reveal all four words
  • AEROPLANE
  • DOVETAIL
  • HEATHERS
  • MARSALA
Show categories only
  • Yellow: BIT OF A RESPONSE TO STRONG EMOTIONS
  • Green: BREAK THE RULES
  • Blue: FIRST-CLASS LEVERS
  • Purple: STARTING WITH CANDY BARS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

BIT OF A RESPONSE TO STRONG EMOTIONS

CHILL · GOOSEBUMP · SHIVER · TINGLE

Green

BREAK THE RULES

JAYWALK · LITTER · LOITER · SPEED

Blue

FIRST-CLASS LEVERS

CLOTHESPIN · CROWBAR · SCISSORS · SEESAW

Purple

STARTING WITH CANDY BARS

AEROPLANE · DOVETAIL · HEATHERS · MARSALA

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.