MEDIUMPuzzle #226

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#226) – Today's Puzzle, Jan 23

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying BRING INTO BEING (COIN, CREATE...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: January 23, 2024

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#225, Jan 22)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

COIN hint: In the context of bring into being, "COIN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CREATE hint: In the context of bring into being, "CREATE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEVISE hint: In the context of bring into being, "DEVISE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

INVENT hint: In the context of bring into being, "INVENT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FINE hint: In the context of excellent, "FINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PRIME hint: In the context of excellent, "PRIME" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUALITY hint: In the context of excellent, "QUALITY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STERLING hint: In the context of excellent, "STERLING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

AT hint: In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "AT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DOLLAR hint: In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "DOLLAR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PERCENT hint: In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "PERCENT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POUND hint: In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "POUND" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BAR hint: "BAR" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE BAR".

BUCK hint: "BUCK" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE BUCK".

TIME hint: "TIME" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE TIME".

TORCH hint: "TORCH" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE TORCH".

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.

FINE, PRIME, QUALITY, STERLING

In today's medium category (EXCELLENT), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like FINE, PRIME, QUALITY, STERLING may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to EXCELLENT.

BAR, BUCK, TIME, TORCH

The trickiest grouping today is "PASS THE ___". Words such as BAR, BUCK, TIME, TORCH are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

AT, DOLLAR, PERCENT, POUND

Be careful with overlap between AT, DOLLAR, PERCENT, POUND and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "SYMBOLS ABOVE NUMBERS ON A KEYBOARD" 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: BRING INTO BEING (Straightforward) — Answers: COIN, CREATE, DEVISE, INVENT

Category: EXCELLENT (Medium) — Answers: FINE, PRIME, QUALITY, STERLING

Category: SYMBOLS ABOVE NUMBERS ON A KEYBOARD (Hard) — Answers: AT, DOLLAR, PERCENT, POUND

Category: PASS THE ___ (Tricky) — Answers: BAR, BUCK, TIME, TORCH

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

BRING INTO BEING

The words COIN, CREATE, DEVISE, INVENT all share a unique thematic connection as bring into being.

COIN

In the context of bring into being, "COIN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CREATE

In the context of bring into being, "CREATE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEVISE

In the context of bring into being, "DEVISE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

INVENT

In the context of bring into being, "INVENT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

EXCELLENT

The words FINE, PRIME, QUALITY, STERLING all share a unique thematic connection as excellent.

FINE

In the context of excellent, "FINE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PRIME

In the context of excellent, "PRIME" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

QUALITY

In the context of excellent, "QUALITY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STERLING

In the context of excellent, "STERLING" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SYMBOLS ABOVE NUMBERS ON A KEYBOARD

The words AT, DOLLAR, PERCENT, POUND all share a unique thematic connection as symbols above numbers on a keyboard.

In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "AT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DOLLAR

In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "DOLLAR" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PERCENT

In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "PERCENT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

POUND

In the context of symbols above numbers on a keyboard, "POUND" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PASS THE ___

The words BAR, BUCK, TIME, TORCH all share a unique thematic connection as pass the ___.

BAR

"BAR" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE BAR".

BUCK

"BUCK" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE BUCK".

TIME

"TIME" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE TIME".

TORCH

"TORCH" follows "PASS THE" to form the common expression "PASS THE TORCH".

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

FINE, PRIME, QUALITY, STERLING sit alongside AT, DOLLAR, PERCENT, POUND and phrases like BAR, BUCK, TIME, TORCH — 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.