On January 15, 2024, the New York Times released a challenging edition of its popular puzzle game, Connections. This daily game invites players to group 16 words into four distinct categories, each linked by a common theme. Today’s puzzle presents an engaging challenge, providing players with a unique opportunity to test their word association skills.
Understanding the Connections Game
Connections tasks players with identifying themes that connect various words. Each group consists of four words sharing a common attribute, requiring players to think creatively and critically. For instance, words such as “Hook,” “Nana,” “Peter,” and “Wendy” might all refer to characters from *Peter Pan*. Alternatively, terms like “Action,” “Ballpark,” “Go,” and “Stick” may relate to phrases commonly preceding the word “Figure.” The aim is to uncover these connections while avoiding misleading options that can lead to mistakes.
To succeed, players must identify all four connections without making four errors. After the fourth mistake, the game automatically reveals the correct answers. Additionally, each group is color-coded to indicate difficulty, ranging from Yellow (Easiest) to Purple (Hardest).
Today’s Hints and Solutions
For those tackling today’s puzzle, here are some hints to facilitate the problem-solving process. The 16 words featured in the January 15 edition of Connections include:
Dandruff, Levitate, Stationary, Cereal, Frozen, Hose, Jackal, Melted, Patron, Rake, Salt, Shovel, Snow, Spade, Static, Still.
Hints for each group are as follows:
– **Yellow (Easiest)**: Tools associated with a common outdoor activity.
– **Green (Easy)**: Items that do not move.
– **Blue (Medium)**: Consider similarities in shape.
– **Purple (Hardest)**: Look for names within the words.
Two additional hints clarify that every theme, except for the purple group, contains words starting with “S.” Notably, “Snow” and “Frozen” belong to different categories.
If further assistance is necessary, one word from each group has been provided below:
– Yellow: Spade
– Green: Static
– Blue: Cereal
– Purple: Patron
The correct groupings for today’s puzzle are:
– Yellow: Gardening Tools (Hose, Rake, Shovel, Spade)
– Green: Unmoving (Frozen, Static, Stationary, Still)
– Blue: Things That Come In Flakes (Cereal, Dandruff, Salt, Snow)
– Purple: Words Formed By Two Men’s Names (Jackal, Levitate, Melted, Patron)
The creativity behind the purple category has drawn remarks from players, as it requires keen insight into connections that may not be immediately obvious.
Whether successful or not, players can look forward to a new Connections puzzle being released every day at midnight, encouraging continued engagement and enjoyment. Those who tackled today’s challenge are reminded that practice makes perfect in the world of word puzzles.
