NYT Connections Hints Today, January 16, 2026: Yellow To Purple Group Clues Explained

NYT Connections For Today, January 16, 2026: The New York Times Connections puzzle is a fun daily word challenge that asks players to group 16 words into four theme-based categories. Each group has some meaning, and solving them adds a bit of sharp thinking to your day. Below, you’ll find NYT Connections for January 16, 2026 full word list, hints to help you solve the puzzle, answers, and some easy tips to improve your solving skills:

Today's NYT Connections For January 16, 2026, Word List

Here are today’s Connections words you’ll need to group:

• ALABAMA

• BAHAMA

• BATH

• BRUSHING

• BANANARAMA

• CANYON

• DERBY

• FEDORA

• KANSAS

• PAJAMAS

• PANAMA

• PIANO

• PORKPIE

• SANTANA

• STORY

• SLAM 

Today's NYT Connections Hints For January 16, 2026

• Yellow Group: Headwear types

• Green Group: Kids’ bedtime

• Blue Group: Only vowel A

• Purple Group: Follows “Grand”

Today's NYT Connections Categories For January 16, 2026

• Yellow Group: Think about what you put on your head.

• Green Group: These words relate to a night-time routine for children.

• Blue Group: All names have only the letter A as their vowel.

• Purple Group: Add the same word before each to make familiar phrases. 

Today's NYT Connections For January 16, 2026 Answers

Here are the correct groupings for Puzzle #950:

• Yellow Group: PANAMA, PORKPIE, DERBY, FEDORA

• Green Group: BATH, STORY, BRUSHING, PAJAMAS

• Blue Group: ALABAMA, SANTANA, BANANARAMA, KANSAS

• Purple Group: BAHAMA, SLAM, CANYON, PIANO

Tips To Solve NYT Connections For January 16, 2026 Faster

Solving these daily puzzles becomes easier with a few habits:

• Scan for obvious links first: categories like clothing, food or places are often easiest.

• Look at spellings, not just meanings: especially for Blue-level puzzles; patterns matter.

• Use the Shuffle button: this sometimes highlights hidden combinations.

• Don’t guess too early: avoid locking in a group until you’re confident.

• Work from easy to hard: start with the yellow group, then green, blue and purple. 

Happy puzzling !!

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Image credit: New York Times and Freepik