MEDIUMPuzzle #206

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#206) – Today's Puzzle, Jan 3

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying MOVE THROUGH THE AIR (FLOAT, FLY...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: January 3, 2024

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#205, Jan 2)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

Tap any word to see its Connections hint — what it means in today's puzzle, no spoilers.

FLOAT hint: In the context of move through the air, "FLOAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FLY hint: In the context of move through the air, "FLY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GLIDE hint: In the context of move through the air, "GLIDE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOAR hint: In the context of move through the air, "SOAR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BUG hint: In the context of hidden listening devices, "BUG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MIKE hint: In the context of hidden listening devices, "MIKE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAP hint: In the context of hidden listening devices, "TAP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WIRE hint: In the context of hidden listening devices, "WIRE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHECK hint: In the context of select, as a box on a form, "CHECK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MARK hint: In the context of select, as a box on a form, "MARK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TICK hint: In the context of select, as a box on a form, "TICK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

X hint: In the context of select, as a box on a form, "X" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

40 hint: In this wordplay group, "40" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

COLE hint: In this wordplay group, "COLE" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

PAIN hint: In this wordplay group, "PAIN" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

TIP hint: In this wordplay group, "TIP" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

Hints uncovered0 / 16

Today's NYT Connections Hints for All Four Categories

Reveal progressively: see the category hint first, then the group name, then individual words — stop whenever you have enough.

🟡 Straightforward

🟢 Medium

🔵 Hard

🟣 Tricky

⚠️Traps & Misdirects Hints for Today’s Connections Puzzle

Today’s Connections puzzle includes words intentionally placed to misdirect you into wrong groups. These traps and misdirects hints reveal which words are designed to mislead, so you don’t burn your 4 allowed mistakes on deliberate decoys.

BUG, MIKE, TAP, WIRE

In today's medium category (HIDDEN LISTENING DEVICES), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like BUG, MIKE, TAP, WIRE may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to HIDDEN LISTENING DEVICES.

40, COLE, PAIN, TIP

The trickiest grouping today is "RAPPERS MINUS FIRST LETTER". Words such as 40, COLE, PAIN, TIP are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

CHECK, MARK, TICK, X

Be careful with overlap between CHECK, MARK, TICK, X and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "SELECT, AS A BOX ON A FORM" to trap unsuspecting players into using up their 4 allowed mistakes.

Today's NYT Connections Answers

Click to reveal the complete solution — all four categories.

Category: MOVE THROUGH THE AIR (Straightforward) — Answers: FLOAT, FLY, GLIDE, SOAR

Category: HIDDEN LISTENING DEVICES (Medium) — Answers: BUG, MIKE, TAP, WIRE

Category: SELECT, AS A BOX ON A FORM (Hard) — Answers: CHECK, MARK, TICK, X

Category: RAPPERS MINUS FIRST LETTER (Tricky) — Answers: 40, COLE, PAIN, TIP

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

MOVE THROUGH THE AIR

The words FLOAT, FLY, GLIDE, SOAR all share a unique thematic connection as move through the air.

FLOAT

In the context of move through the air, "FLOAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FLY

In the context of move through the air, "FLY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

GLIDE

In the context of move through the air, "GLIDE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOAR

In the context of move through the air, "SOAR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HIDDEN LISTENING DEVICES

The words BUG, MIKE, TAP, WIRE all share a unique thematic connection as hidden listening devices.

BUG

In the context of hidden listening devices, "BUG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MIKE

In the context of hidden listening devices, "MIKE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TAP

In the context of hidden listening devices, "TAP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WIRE

In the context of hidden listening devices, "WIRE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SELECT, AS A BOX ON A FORM

The words CHECK, MARK, TICK, X all share a unique thematic connection as select, as a box on a form.

CHECK

In the context of select, as a box on a form, "CHECK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MARK

In the context of select, as a box on a form, "MARK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TICK

In the context of select, as a box on a form, "TICK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

In the context of select, as a box on a form, "X" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

RAPPERS MINUS FIRST LETTER

The words 40, COLE, PAIN, TIP all share a unique thematic connection as rappers minus first letter.

In this wordplay group, "40" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

COLE

In this wordplay group, "COLE" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

PAIN

In this wordplay group, "PAIN" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

TIP

In this wordplay group, "TIP" fulfills the structural letter condition (such as anagrams, hidden words, or double letters).

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

BUG, MIKE, TAP, WIRE sit alongside CHECK, MARK, TICK, X and phrases like 40, COLE, PAIN, TIP — a collision of distinct word groups and subtle misdirects.

The editor's sharpest trick is hiding a word-within-a-word: some of the multi-word phrases are not grouped by their topic but by what their first word secretly means.

How to Use Connections Hints

Everyone playing NYT Connections puzzle gets stuck at a different point. Some players can’t figure out a single word. Others have three groups solved and can’t find the fourth. Where you are stuck determines which connection hint you need.

A word in the puzzle has an unfamiliar meaning

Some words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle are uncommon. Connections editor Wyna Liu often uses words with specific or less familiar meanings, particularly in the green, blue, and purple categories. If you don’t know what a word means, you cannot reliably place it in a group.

Recommendation: Use the Word Hint. It tells you what the word means in the context of today’s puzzle. Tap any word directly on the board above to see its hint.

No groups are forming after reading all sixteen words

The connection between words is often not obvious from their meanings alone — categories are built around themes that require a specific angle to see. These category-level clues are the most useful hints.

Recommendation: Use the Category Hint. It points you toward the theme of a category without revealing the category name or which words belong to it. Tap “Yellow Category Hint” first.

You have a possible group but aren’t ready to guess

You think four words belong together but you’re not confident enough to guess. If you’re unsure, don’t guess yet — a wrong guess costs you one of your four mistakes.

Recommendation: Use the Category Name. It reveals the exact name of the category without showing you which words belong to it.

One word seems to fit more than one group

You have built a group of four words but one word in it could also fit somewhere else. NYT Connections editor Wyna Liu deliberately places misleading words on the board.

Recommendation: Use the Traps and Misdirects Hints. It identifies the specific misleading words in today’s puzzle and explains why they don’t belong where you think they do.

You know the category but can’t find all four words

You have identified the theme of a category but can’t find all four words that belong to it.

Recommendation: Use the Word Reveal. It uncovers one masked word at a time without revealing the full group. This is the most precise connection hint available.

One mistake left with two groups unsolved

You have one mistake remaining and two groups unsolved. If you guess wrong here, the game ends and NYT reveals all the answers automatically.

Recommendation: Do not guess yet. Use the Category Name for both remaining groups first. If that is still not enough, tap “Category Words” and reveal one word at a time.

You want today’s answers without solving the puzzle

Use the Answers section. It shows all four category names and the four words that belong to each one.

Recommendation: Go to the Answers section.

The puzzle is over but a category still doesn’t make sense

You can see the four groups and their words but the connection between them isn’t clear.

Recommendation: Use the Answer Explanation. It tells you exactly what connects the words in each category and why each individual word belongs there.

Browse Past Puzzles

View answers and hints for every previous NYT Connections puzzle.

Puzzle Archive →

Frequently Asked Questions

NYT Connections is a daily word puzzle by The New York Times where you group 16 words into 4 categories of 4 words each. Each category has a hidden theme color-coded by difficulty.

Yellow is the most straightforward category, Green is medium difficulty, Blue is harder, and Purple contains the trickiest, most misleading groupings.

Yes, NYT Connections is free to play once per day on the New York Times Games website.

A new NYT Connections puzzle releases every day at midnight in your local time zone (12:00 AM ET for US Eastern Time).

Naveed Ahmed

@NaveedAhmedDev•@naveedcolab

Lead Writer & Connections Puzzle Analyst

Naveed is a dedicated puzzle strategist and word game analyst who breaks down daily NYT Connections categories, uncovers tricky wordplay patterns, and delivers progressive, spoiler-free clues to help thousands of players solve every puzzle.