Need help with today’s NYT Connections? Here are the hints and answers for Connections 961 on January 30, 2026.

🎯 Today’s Connections Answers (January 30, 2026)

YELLOW: FINDINGS
DATA, DETAILS, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE
GREEN: DINNER OPTIONS
COOK, DELIVERY, GO OUT, LEFTOVERS
BLUE: U.S. CABINET DEPARTMENTS
COMMERCE, EDUCATION, ENERGY, LABOR
PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF PLACES TO PARK A SHIP
BIRTH, DOC, PEER, WORF

Past Answers

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Yellow (Region):AREA, CLUSTER, PATCH, POCKET
Green (grooming items)COMB, COMPACT, NAIL FILE, TWEEZERS
Blue (things with adhesive surfaces):BAND-AID, LINT ROLLER, STICKER, TAPE
Purple (Hand) :HELPING, MINUTE, POKER, UPPER
Yellow (Makeup):BRONZER, FOUNDATION, LINER, STAIN
Green (featured in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”)BEAR, BED, GOLDILOCKS, PORRIDGE
Blue (ending with drinking vessels):FIBERGLASS, SILVERSTEIN, SMUG, STUMBLER
Purple (homophones of words meaning "brutal") :GOREY, GRIMM, GRIZZLY, SCARRY
Yellow (imitation):DUMMY, MOCK, PRETEND, SHAM
Green (cleaning supplies)BUCKET, GLOVES, RAG, SOAP
Blue (components of a record player):MOTOR, NEEDLE, PLATTER, TONEARM
Purple (spare) :ME, RIB, TIME, TIRE
Yellow (Quite the laugh):CARD, CHARACTER, CUTUP, JOKER
Green (NHL team member)DEVIL, FLYER, PENGUIN, RANGER
Blue (first words of Robin Hood character names):FRIAR, MAID, ROBIN, SHERIFF
Purple (starting with baseball gear) :BALLROOM, BASEMENT, BATMOBILE, CAPSTONE
Yellow (Exploit):DRAIN, FLEECE, MILK, SQUEEZE
Green (Daunt)BUFFALO, COW, RATTLE, RUFFLE
Blue (Iconic actresses):CLOSE, FIELD, FOSTER, WEAVER
Purple (Mammals minus last letter) :BADGE, GOA, MOOS, RABBI
Yellow (Act as a backup):Cover, Fill in, Sub, Temp
Green (PC keyboard keys)Alt, Enter, Menu, Windows
Blue (Pasta shapes):Bowtie, Ribbon, Shell, Tube
Purple (Suffixes) :Ate, Dom, Hood, Ship

What exactly is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is not your typical word game. It’s a brain teaser where you’re presented with a 4 × 4 grid containing 16 words. Your task? Find four groups of four words that share a common connection. These groups are colour-coded by difficulty:

  • Green = Easy
  • Yellow = Moderate
  • Blue = Challenging
  • Purple = Toughest

Tips to Conquer NYT Connections

Though I’m still mastering the game, here are a few strategies that have helped me:

  • Pay Attention to Feedback: If you get a group wrong, watch the message “One away” usually means you’re close!
  • Shuffle to Refresh Your View: Rearranging the words can spark new insights.
  • Start with the Easy Groups: The green and yellow sets are typically more obvious and can help you narrow down the rest.

Hints for Today, January 30, 2026

Today’s Connections groups are

  • Yellow group — a part of the world
  • Green group — they can help you look and feel good
  • Blue group — like a relative or friend who outstays their welcome at your place, these can stick around
  • Purple group — old, stage and hired would all work here

Spoiler Territory ahead! All Answers for Today:

Today’s NYT Connections answers are…

  • Yellow group — region (AREA, CLUSTER, PATCH, POCKET)
  • Green group — grooming items (COMB, COMPACT, NAIL FILE, TWEEZERS)
  • Blue group — things with adhesive surfaces (BAND-AID, LINT ROLLER, STICKER, TAPE)
  • Purple group — hand (HELPING, MINUTE, POKER, UPPER)

My Take

Today’s puzzle was a classic one, playing with different meanings and categories. The yellow group with equipment was easy to pick out, while the green group tied to dress in was straightforward once you connected the dots. The blue set, focused on street suffixes, was a little trickier, and the purple group of nicknames added a fun layer of wordplay. Overall, it was a fun puzzle with a mix of challenging and easy connections.

If you enjoyed today’s puzzle, make sure to check in tomorrow for more clues and answers!