MEDIUMPuzzle #965

NYT Connections Hints & Answers (#965) – Today's Puzzle, Jan 31

TODAY'S NYT CONNECTIONS TIP

“Start by identifying KINDS OF PARTIES (BALL, MIXER...) to narrow down the remaining 16-word grid!”

Written by Naveed Ahmed · Updated: January 31, 2026

← Yesterday's Connections Hint (#964, Jan 30)

Connections Hint for Each Word Today

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

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

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

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

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

BRUSH hint: In the context of ways to apply paint, "BRUSH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PALETTE KNIFE hint: In the context of ways to apply paint, "PALETTE KNIFE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROLLER hint: In the context of ways to apply paint, "ROLLER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPRAY CAN hint: In the context of ways to apply paint, "SPRAY CAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SLINGSHOT hint: In the context of y-shaped things, "SLINGSHOT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STETHOSCOPE hint: In the context of y-shaped things, "STETHOSCOPE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TUNING FORK hint: In the context of y-shaped things, "TUNING FORK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WISHBONE hint: In the context of y-shaped things, "WISHBONE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

COMPUTER KEY hint: In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "COMPUTER KEY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRESS hint: In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "DRESS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FLUCTUATION hint: In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "FLUCTUATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WORK PERIOD hint: In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "WORK PERIOD" 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.

BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN

In today's medium category (WAYS TO APPLY PAINT), pay close attention to subtle shifts in meaning. Words like BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN may appear to belong to other everyday contexts, but their true connection lies in their shared relationship to WAYS TO APPLY PAINT.

COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD

The trickiest grouping today is "WHAT "SHIFT" MIGHT REFER TO". Words such as COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD are designed as intentional misdirects. Look past their obvious surface meanings for hidden wordplay or secondary definitions.

SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE

Be careful with overlap between SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE and other categories on the board. The editor often places decoy pairings in "Y-SHAPED THINGS" 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: KINDS OF PARTIES (Straightforward) — Answers: BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER

Category: WAYS TO APPLY PAINT (Medium) — Answers: BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN

Category: Y-SHAPED THINGS (Hard) — Answers: SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE

Category: WHAT "SHIFT" MIGHT REFER TO (Tricky) — Answers: COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD

Today's NYT Connections Answers Explained

KINDS OF PARTIES

The words BALL, MIXER, RECEPTION, SHOWER all share a unique thematic connection as kinds of parties.

BALL

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

MIXER

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

RECEPTION

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

SHOWER

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

WAYS TO APPLY PAINT

The words BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN all share a unique thematic connection as ways to apply paint.

BRUSH

In the context of ways to apply paint, "BRUSH" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

PALETTE KNIFE

In the context of ways to apply paint, "PALETTE KNIFE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

ROLLER

In the context of ways to apply paint, "ROLLER" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

SPRAY CAN

In the context of ways to apply paint, "SPRAY CAN" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

Y-SHAPED THINGS

The words SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE all share a unique thematic connection as y-shaped things.

SLINGSHOT

In the context of y-shaped things, "SLINGSHOT" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

STETHOSCOPE

In the context of y-shaped things, "STETHOSCOPE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

TUNING FORK

In the context of y-shaped things, "TUNING FORK" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WISHBONE

In the context of y-shaped things, "WISHBONE" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WHAT "SHIFT" MIGHT REFER TO

The words COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD all share a unique thematic connection as what "shift" might refer to.

COMPUTER KEY

In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "COMPUTER KEY" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

DRESS

In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "DRESS" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

FLUCTUATION

In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "FLUCTUATION" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

WORK PERIOD

In the context of what "shift" might refer to, "WORK PERIOD" stands out as a clear, defining example within this group.

What Makes Today’s NYT Connections Puzzle Tricky?

BRUSH, PALETTE KNIFE, ROLLER, SPRAY CAN sit alongside SLINGSHOT, STETHOSCOPE, TUNING FORK, WISHBONE and phrases like COMPUTER KEY, DRESS, FLUCTUATION, WORK PERIOD — 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.