MEDIUMPuzzle #943

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#943) – Today's Puzzle, Jan 9

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying THINGS THAT ARE RED (3 BALL, CARDINAL...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: January 9, 2026

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#942, Jan 8)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

3 BALL hint: In the context of red, "3 BALL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

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

HEART EMOJI hint: In the context of red, "HEART EMOJI" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOLO CUP hint: In the context of red, "SOLO CUP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

8 BALL hint: In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "8 BALL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEEP END hint: In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "DEEP END" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIMB hint: In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "LIMB" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THIN ICE hint: In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "THIN ICE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

6 MAFIA hint: In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "6 MAFIA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHAINZ hint: In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "CHAINZ" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DIRECTION hint: In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "DIRECTION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

NON BLONDES hint: In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "NON BLONDES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

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

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

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

OAST hint: In this wordplay group, "OAST" 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.

8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE

In today's medium category (USED IN METAPHORS FOR PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to USED IN METAPHORS FOR PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS.

COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST

The trickiest grouping today is "CARDINAL DIRECTIONS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED". Words such as COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES

Be careful with overlap between 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "MUSICAL ARTISTS MINUS STARTING NUMBERS" 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: THINGS THAT ARE RED (Straightforward) — Answers: 3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP

Category: USED IN METAPHORS FOR PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS (Medium) — Answers: 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE

Category: MUSICAL ARTISTS MINUS STARTING NUMBERS (Hard) — Answers: 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES

Category: CARDINAL DIRECTIONS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED (Tricky) — Answers: COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

THINGS THAT ARE RED

The words 3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP all share a unique thematic connection as things that are red.

3 BALL

In the context of red, "3 BALL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CARDINAL

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

HEART EMOJI

In the context of red, "HEART EMOJI" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SOLO CUP

In the context of red, "SOLO CUP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

USED IN METAPHORS FOR PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS

The words 8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE all share a unique thematic connection as used in metaphors for precarious situations.

8 BALL

In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "8 BALL" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DEEP END

In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "DEEP END" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

LIMB

In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "LIMB" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

THIN ICE

In the context of used in metaphors for precarious situations, "THIN ICE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

MUSICAL ARTISTS MINUS STARTING NUMBERS

The words 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES all share a unique thematic connection as musical artists minus starting numbers.

6 MAFIA

In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "6 MAFIA" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CHAINZ

In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "CHAINZ" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DIRECTION

In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "DIRECTION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

NON BLONDES

In the context of musical artists minus starting numbers, "NON BLONDES" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CARDINAL DIRECTIONS WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED

The words COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST all share a unique thematic connection as cardinal directions with first letter changed.

COUTH

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

FORTH

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

LEST

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

OAST

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

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE sit alongside 6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES and phrases like COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST — 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.