MEDIUMPuzzle #581

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#581) – Today's Puzzle, Jan 12

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying FABRICATION (FAIRY TALE, FANTASY...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: January 12, 2025

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#580, Jan 11)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

FAIRY TALE hint: In the context of fabrication, "FAIRY TALE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ASTEROIDS hint: In the context of classic atari games, "ASTEROIDS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BREAKOUT hint: In the context of classic atari games, "BREAKOUT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CENTIPEDE hint: In the context of classic atari games, "CENTIPEDE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEFENDER hint: In the context of classic atari games, "DEFENDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COIN TOSS hint: In the context of things featuring tails, "COIN TOSS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COMETS hint: In the context of things featuring tails, "COMETS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRESS COAT hint: In the context of things featuring tails, "DRESS COAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG hint: In the context of things featuring tails, "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

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.

CHARM, COURT, PURSUE, ROMANCE

In today's medium category (WOO), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like CHARM, COURT, PURSUE, ROMANCE may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to WOO.

COIN TOSS, COMETS, DRESS COAT, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

The trickiest grouping today is "THINGS FEATURING TAILS". Words such as COIN TOSS, COMETS, DRESS COAT, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

ASTEROIDS, BREAKOUT, CENTIPEDE, DEFENDER

Be careful with overlap between ASTEROIDS, BREAKOUT, CENTIPEDE, DEFENDER and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "CLASSIC ATARI GAMES" 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: FABRICATION (Straightforward) — Answers: FAIRY TALE, FANTASY, FICTION, INVENTION

Category: WOO (Medium) — Answers: CHARM, COURT, PURSUE, ROMANCE

Category: CLASSIC ATARI GAMES (Hard) — Answers: ASTEROIDS, BREAKOUT, CENTIPEDE, DEFENDER

Category: THINGS FEATURING TAILS (Tricky) — Answers: COIN TOSS, COMETS, DRESS COAT, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

FABRICATION

The words FAIRY TALE, FANTASY, FICTION, INVENTION all share a unique thematic connection as fabrication.

FAIRY TALE

In the context of fabrication, "FAIRY TALE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FANTASY

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

FICTION

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

INVENTION

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

WOO

The words CHARM, COURT, PURSUE, ROMANCE all share a unique thematic connection as woo.

CHARM

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

COURT

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

PURSUE

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

ROMANCE

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

CLASSIC ATARI GAMES

The words ASTEROIDS, BREAKOUT, CENTIPEDE, DEFENDER all share a unique thematic connection as classic atari games.

ASTEROIDS

In the context of classic atari games, "ASTEROIDS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

BREAKOUT

In the context of classic atari games, "BREAKOUT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CENTIPEDE

In the context of classic atari games, "CENTIPEDE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEFENDER

In the context of classic atari games, "DEFENDER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THINGS FEATURING TAILS

The words COIN TOSS, COMETS, DRESS COAT, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG all share a unique thematic connection as things featuring tails.

COIN TOSS

In the context of things featuring tails, "COIN TOSS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COMETS

In the context of things featuring tails, "COMETS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRESS COAT

In the context of things featuring tails, "DRESS COAT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

In the context of things featuring tails, "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

CHARM, COURT, PURSUE, ROMANCE sit alongside ASTEROIDS, BREAKOUT, CENTIPEDE, DEFENDER and phrases like COIN TOSS, COMETS, DRESS COAT, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG — 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.