MEDIUMPuzzle #945

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#945) – Today's Puzzle, Jan 11

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying GROUP (BAND, CREW...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: January 11, 2026

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#944, Jan 10)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BIT hint: In the context of equestrian gear, "BIT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROP hint: In the context of equestrian gear, "CROP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HALTER hint: In the context of equestrian gear, "HALTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SADDLE hint: In the context of equestrian gear, "SADDLE" 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.

CRASH, CRATER, DROP, TANK

In today's medium category (PLUNGE), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like CRASH, CRATER, DROP, TANK may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to PLUNGE.

BIT, CROP, HALTER, SADDLE

The trickiest grouping today is "EQUESTRIAN GEAR". Words such as BIT, CROP, HALTER, SADDLE are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

BASIN, DRAIN, FAUCET, STOPPER

Be careful with overlap between BASIN, DRAIN, FAUCET, STOPPER and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "PARTS OF A SINK" 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: GROUP (Straightforward) — Answers: BAND, CREW, PACK, TEAM

Category: PLUNGE (Medium) — Answers: CRASH, CRATER, DROP, TANK

Category: PARTS OF A SINK (Hard) — Answers: BASIN, DRAIN, FAUCET, STOPPER

Category: EQUESTRIAN GEAR (Tricky) — Answers: BIT, CROP, HALTER, SADDLE

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

GROUP

The words BAND, CREW, PACK, TEAM all share a unique thematic connection as group.

BAND

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

CREW

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

PACK

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

TEAM

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

PLUNGE

The words CRASH, CRATER, DROP, TANK all share a unique thematic connection as plunge.

CRASH

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

CRATER

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

DROP

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

TANK

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

PARTS OF A SINK

The words BASIN, DRAIN, FAUCET, STOPPER all share a unique thematic connection as parts of a sink.

BASIN

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

DRAIN

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

FAUCET

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

STOPPER

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

EQUESTRIAN GEAR

The words BIT, CROP, HALTER, SADDLE all share a unique thematic connection as equestrian gear.

BIT

In the context of equestrian gear, "BIT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

CROP

In the context of equestrian gear, "CROP" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

HALTER

In the context of equestrian gear, "HALTER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SADDLE

In the context of equestrian gear, "SADDLE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

CRASH, CRATER, DROP, TANK sit alongside BASIN, DRAIN, FAUCET, STOPPER and phrases like BIT, CROP, HALTER, SADDLE — 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.