**Connections: The NYT Word Game Everyone’s Raving About**

*Connections* has swiftly become a favorite among word games from the *New York Times*, enchanting players with its distinctive challenge of uncovering “common threads among words.” Much like the trendy *Wordle*, *Connections* refreshes every day at midnight, presenting a fresh array of progressively challenging puzzles. If you’re finding it difficult, we’ve compiled hints and tactics to assist you—or you can jump straight to the end for today’s answers.

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### What Is *Connections*?

The *New York Times* has hit the jackpot again with its newest word game, *Connections*, which has taken social media by storm. Developed with the assistance of associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu, the game encourages players to assemble four words that correlate with a shared theme. Accessible on both web browsers and mobile devices, *Connections* adds a new dimension to the *Times*’ Games section.

Each puzzle features 16 words that must be categorized into four groups. These categories can include anything from book titles to software names, countries, and beyond. Although many words may appear to align, there’s only one accurate solution.

When players successfully identify a set of four, those words are eliminated from the board. However, incorrect attempts are considered mistakes, and players are permitted up to four mistakes before the game concludes. To facilitate play, the board can be rearranged, and categories are color-coded: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (most difficult). Similar to *Wordle*, players can share their outcomes on social platforms to compare with friends.

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### Hints for Today’s *Connections* Puzzle

Looking for a little push to get going? Here are some clues for today’s categories:

– **Yellow:** Becoming conscious of something
– **Green:** Rhythm and melody in music or speech
– **Blue:** Part of a dozen
– **Purple:** Associated with “dog”

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### Today’s *Connections* Categories

Still searching for answers? Here’s a summary of today’s categories:

– **Yellow:** Recognize
– **Green:** Cadence
– **Blue:** One in a Group of Twelve
– **Purple:** Dog___

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### Today’s *Connections* Solution

Eager for the answers? Here’s the solution to today’s puzzle:

– **Recognize:** CATCH, CLOCK, NOTICE, REGISTER
– **Cadence:** BEAT, METER, RHYTHM, TIME
– **One in a Group of Twelve:** DONUT, INCH, JUROR, MONTH
– **Dog___:** DAYS, PADDLE, TAG, TIRED

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Don’t fret if you didn’t crack it this time—there’s always a new opportunity tomorrow! A fresh *Connections* puzzle awaits each day, and we’ll be ready with new hints and solutions to guide you.

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### Seeking More Games?

If puzzles are your passion, explore Mashable’s [games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and beyond. And if you’re also enjoying *Wordle* or *NYT Strands*, we have hints and answers for those as well.

Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Here’s the answer.](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-sports-edition-hint-answer-today-january-2)