A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #951
hints & answers for January 17, 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 17, 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 B, C, C and P. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BLANKET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

SPREAD OVER

Reveal all four words
  • BLANKET
  • COAT
  • COVER
  • PLASTER

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CAST belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

THROW

Reveal all four words
  • CAST
  • HURL
  • PELT
  • SLING

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
Gentle hint

The spelling can be rearranged without adding anything.

Show one word

INKS belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ANAGRAMS

Reveal all four words
  • INKS
  • KINS
  • SINK
  • SKIN

The entries use the same letters in different orders.

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CAPTURE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

FIRST WORDS OF KIDS' GAMES

Reveal all four words
  • CAPTURE
  • HIDE
  • RED
  • SIMON
Show categories only
  • Yellow: SPREAD OVER
  • Green: THROW
  • Blue: ANAGRAMS
  • Purple: FIRST WORDS OF KIDS' GAMES

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

SPREAD OVER

BLANKET · COAT · COVER · PLASTER

Green

THROW

CAST · HURL · PELT · SLING

Blue

ANAGRAMS

INKS · KINS · SINK · SKIN

Purple

FIRST WORDS OF KIDS' GAMES

CAPTURE · HIDE · RED · SIMON

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.