NYT Connections Hints Today, January 29, 2026: Clues And Tips To Solve Puzzle #963

NYT Connections For Today, January 29, 2026: The New York Times Connections puzzle is a daily word challenge where you must group 16 seemingly random words into four groups. Each group shares a hidden connection, varying from easy themes to tricky wordplay. The aim is to spot these four groups with minimal mistakes. Below, in this article we share a step by step guide featuring hints, answers and more for NYT Connections for January 29, 2026:

Today's NYT Connections For January 29, 2026, Word List

Here are the 16 words in today’s NYT Connections puzzle: 

• GOREY

• SILVERSTEIN

• GRIZZLY

• BEAR

• GRIMM

• GOLDILOCKS

• STAIN

• SCARRY

• FIBERGLASS

• SMUG

• BED

• LINER

• FOUNDATION

• STUMBLER

• BRONZER

• PORRIDGE

Today's NYT Connections Hints For January 29, 2026

To solve the puzzle without seeing all the answers straight away, here are some hints for you:

• Yellow Group: Beauty products you use every day.

• Green Group: Children’s fairy tale.

• Blue Group: Type of drinking vessel.

• Purple Group: Sound like other words meaning harsh.

Today's NYT Connections Categories For January 29, 2026

Still stuck? Here are the clues for each group:

• Yellow Group: Everyday cosmetics you might find in a makeup bag.

• Green Group: Things you would see in Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

• Blue Group: Words that form phrases ending with names of drinking vessels.

• Purple Group: Homophones of words meaning something rough or brutal.

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Today's NYT Connections For January 29, 2026, Answers

Here are the full solutions for NYT Connections puzzle #963:

• Yellow Group: BRONZER, FOUNDATION, LINER, STAIN

• Green Group: BEAR, BED, GOLDILOCKS, PORRIDGE

• Blue Group: FIBERGLASS, SILVERSTEIN, SMUG, STUMBLER

• Purple Group: GOREY, GRIMM, GRIZZLY, SCARRY

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Tips To Crack NYT Connections For January 29, 2026

Here are a few tried-and-tested tips that help most players solve Connections faster:

• Spot the easy categories first: Simple groups (like makeup) are often yellow and the easiest.

• Read words: Especially for purple groups, pronunciation often unlocks sound-based themes.

• Look for endings: Some categories form phrases only when paired with the same last word.

• Eliminate: When four words definitely belong together, remove them early to narrow down the rest of the words.

Happy puzzling !! 

Image credit: New York Times and Freepik