A little help. Your own aha.

Connections #955
hints & answers for January 21, 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 21, 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 N. These initials are in sorted order.

Show one word

BOTTLE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

ITEMS TO RECYCLE

Reveal all four words
  • BOTTLE
  • CAN
  • CARDBOARD BOX
  • NEWSPAPER

Green group

A little trickier

2/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

BLANKET belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BEDDING

Reveal all four words
  • BLANKET
  • SHAM
  • SHEET
  • THROW

Blue group

More challenging

3/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

COPY belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

PLAGIARIZE

Reveal all four words
  • COPY
  • CRIB
  • LIFT
  • PIRATE

Purple group

Wordplay & surprises

4/4
First-letter clue

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

Show one word

CAVE belongs in this group.

Reveal the category

BATMAN'S "BAT" THINGS

Reveal all four words
  • CAVE
  • MOBILE
  • SIGNAL
  • SUIT
Show categories only
  • Yellow: ITEMS TO RECYCLE
  • Green: BEDDING
  • Blue: PLAGIARIZE
  • Purple: BATMAN'S "BAT" THINGS

Ready for the full solution?

All four categories and their words, together.

Reveal all four answers

Yellow

ITEMS TO RECYCLE

BOTTLE · CAN · CARDBOARD BOX · NEWSPAPER

Green

BEDDING

BLANKET · SHAM · SHEET · THROW

Blue

PLAGIARIZE

COPY · CRIB · LIFT · PIRATE

Purple

BATMAN'S "BAT" THINGS

CAVE · MOBILE · SIGNAL · SUIT

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.